Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lawmakers Turn Up Heat on Treasury Chief Geithner Over AIG
Jan 28 2010 // U.S. lawmakers challenged Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s credibility on Wednesday after he said he was not involved in a decision by bailed-out insurer AIG to withhold details about $62 billion paid to...
Obama Job Drive Earns Business Plaudits at Davos
Jan 28 2010 // Wall Street executives welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan to create jobs and a softening of his attack on banks, but questioned on Thursday whether proposals in his State of the Union address would become...
Michigan Senate Follows House, OKs Ban on Texting While Driving
Jan 28 2010 // Michigan lawmakers took a key step this week toward prohibiting the use of cell phones to send or read text messages while driving, but some say the measure is watered down and wouldn’t do enough to crack down on...
U.S. Judge Dismisses Claims Against Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s
Jan 27 2010 // In a victory for ratings agencies, a U.S. judge Tuesday dismissed claims against Moody’s Corp. and McGraw-Hill’s Standard & Poor’s in litigation over nearly $100 billion of Lehman Brothers Holdings...
Davos Report: Business Leaders Warn Regulations May Crimp Recovery
Jan 27 2010 // Global business leaders warned Western governments on Wednesday that a populist crackdown on the financial industry could crimp a fragile recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s. The worried response to U.S....
SEC Considered National Security Status for AIG Bailout Details
Jan 25 2010 // U.S. securities regulators originally treated the New York Federal Reserve’s bid to keep secret many of the details of the American International Group bailout like a request to protect matters of national security,...
Drinker Biddle Adds Noted New York Insurance Litigator Andrew J. Lorin
Jan 25 2010 // NEW YORK – Andrew J. Lorin, a noted figure in regulating and investigating New York’s insurance industry since 2004, is joining Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP as a partner in the firm’s insurance...
Builders’ Lobby Sponsors Washington Workers’ Comp Initiative
Jan 25 2010 // A politically active construction-industry group wants voters to decide whether Washington’s workers’ compensation system should face private competition, a move opposed by organized labor and top Democratic...
Kentucky Supreme Court Curbs State Use of Private Agency Funds
Jan 25 2010 // In a case involving two workers’ compensation funds, the Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that lawmakers and the governor cannot replenish the state’s general fund using monies from accounts with commingled...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Says Bill Will ‘Fast Forward’ Workers’ Comp Reform
Jan 25 2010 // Oklahoma state Rep. Lewis Moore, R-Edmond, says a bill he has filed combining health and workers’ compensation insurance coverage for employees will allow around-the-clock health coverage and “fast...
Judge OKs Long Island Class Action Suit
Jan 24 2010 // A New York judge has given a green light to a class action suit filed by a group of Long Island homeowners worried about toxic leaks from Brookhaven National Laboratory. The leaks were first reported in the mid-1990s and...
Workers’ Comp Reform High on Oklahoma GOP Legislative Agenda
Jan 24 2010 // Reforming Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system will be among the top legislative goals for Republican lawmakers in 2010. GOP leaders in the state Senate and House of Representatives say overhaul of the...
Economic Downturn Puts Pressure on Return-to-Work Programs
Jan 24 2010 // The recent recession and record unemployment rates have increased pressure on the workers’ compensation insurance system to help return injured employees back to work while effectively managing costs. That was one of...
5 Issues Agents Should Watch in 2010
Jan 24 2010 // With insurance agents across the nation breathing a sigh of relief that 2009 is behind them, their focus has turned to the future: What will 2010 bring for the industry? These emergent issues are important not only for...
Rhode Island Lawmaker Wants to Ban Phone Use while Driving
Jan 22 2010 // A Rhode Island lawmaker is renewing his push to ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel. Pawtucket Democrat Peter Kilmartin introduced a bill Tuesday that bans drivers and bicyclists from using...
West Virginia Eyes Lien on Fire Insurance to Fight Abandoned Buildings
Jan 21 2010 // West Virginia may be on the path to helping municipalities pay for debris removal of abandoned buildings with insurance payments in a way that insurers can live with. The issue of how to pay for the cleanup has irked...
Arkansas Senator: Business Tax Hike May Be Needed for Unemployment
Jan 21 2010 // A lawmaker said he may propose increasing taxes on businesses to help Arkansas pay off about $220 million it owes the federal government for unemployment insurance benefits. Sen. Larry Teague of Nashville said he’s...
U.S. Senate Vote Dims Hopes for Stronger World Climate Pact
Jan 21 2010 // Hopes for stronger world action in 2010 to curb climate change have dimmed after the U.S. Democrats lost a key Senate seat to a Republican opposed to capping emissions, experts said Wednesday. The election of Republican...
Federal Reserve Defends Dealings Over AIG Payments to Banks
Jan 20 2010 // Federal Reserve officials Tuesday launched a vigorous defense of their dealings with American International Group, calling for a congressional audit and denying any inappropriate action with respect to payments the...
Zenith National Insurance Adds Judge Foust to Claims Legal Team
Jan 20 2010 // Zenith National Insurance Corp. plans to release fourth quarter and year end 2009 financial results on Jan. 28, 2010 at the end of its business day. Also, the Woodland Hills, Calif.-based company announced that Judge...
