Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rhode Island, New York Latest States to See Texting-While-Driving Bans
Nov 15 2009 // New Yorkers: Put the BlackBerry away if you’re behind the wheel. New York’s law against texting-while-driving went into effect this month. The new law forbids the use of mobile devices for reading, typing and...
8th Circuit Affirms Arkansas Court Ruling Against Drug Companies
Nov 15 2009 // The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has upheld Arkansas district court decisions in a products liability case against pharmaceutical companies that are the makers of hormone therapy drugs that, combined, have...
People
Nov 15 2009 // Alan Ring joined National Contractors Insurance Co. Inc. (NCIC), a risk retention group, headquartered in Big Fork, Mont., as director of sales and marketing. Prior to joining NCIC, Ring was a regional manager for...
Declarations
Nov 15 2009 // Healthy Action “The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don’t;...
California Insurance Lobbyist Named Most Trustworthy
Nov 13 2009 // IBA West’s legislative advocate in Sacramento, John Norwood, was named the “most trustworthy” lobbyist in the California capitol by a survey of Legislators. The survey was conducted by Capitol Weekly, a...
Supporters Say Michigan Ballot Drive Would Drop Insurance Rates 20%
Nov 11 2009 // Michigan voters could decide on a proposal that supporters say would reduce automobile, home and business insurance premiums by 20 percent, if the proposal qualifies for the 2010 statewide ballot. The form of a legislative...
Senator Kerry, UN’s Ban Ki-moon Upbeat on Climate Bill Prospects
Nov 11 2009 // U.S. Senator John Kerry said Tuesday he will try to “outline” a compromise climate control bill before December’s international global warming conference and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave an...
Insurance Trades Cast Wary Eyes at Senate Financial Services Bill
Nov 11 2009 // Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) of the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday introduced a draft of the long-awaited financial services regulatory reform bill. While insurance industry representatives were quick to...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Eye Business Tax Breaks Amid Budget Shortfall
Nov 10 2009 // Oklahoma gives away billions of dollars in tax revenue through hundreds of exemptions, credits and deductions that some lawmakers say the state may no longer be able to afford as it slips deeper into a revenue...
Supreme Court to Hear Key Case on Patents For Business Methods
Nov 9 2009 // Software, biotech firms and others who develop new ways to do business will be watching closely Monday as the U.S. Supreme Court hears a case that could determine if such innovations can win patent protection. The case...
Bermuda Monetary Authority Joins Insurance Supervisors Exec. Committee
Nov 5 2009 // The Bermuda Monetary Authority has been appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) after a vote taken at the IAIS’s recent annual General Meeting...
8th Circuit Affirms Arkansas Court Ruling in Products Liability Case
Nov 5 2009 // The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has upheld Arkansas district court decisions in a products liability case against pharmaceutical companies that are the makers of hormone therapy drugs that, combined, have...
California Cuts Regulatory Fees
Nov 3 2009 // California’s Department of Insurance is reducing fees by 9.8 percent. The fee reduction is possible because the Department has increased efficiency, according to a press release. The fees fund the Department’s...
Florida State Senator Wants Clinical Trial Claims Covered
Nov 2 2009 // A powerful Florida state senator wants insurance companies and HMOs to stop denying coverage of routine medical treatment, such as doctor’s visits and X-rays, for Florida cancer patients participating in clinical...
House Health Bill Boosts FTC Authority Over Health Insurers
Nov 2 2009 // Health care legislation headed for a vote in the House would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to look into the health insurance industry at its own initiative, Democratic officials said. The FTC, which...
Rhode Island House Approves Texting-while-Driving Ban
Nov 2 2009 // A proposal to ban Rhode Islanders from texting while driving is one step closer to becoming law. The state House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would bar drivers from sending, writing or reading a...
Oregon Bans Cell Phones in the Car
Nov 2 2009 // As of Jan. 1, you can get slapped with a $90 fine if you use a hand-held cell phone while driving in Oregon. Will that be enough to encourage motorists to keep their full attention on the road? And how well can the law be...
Montana Commissioner Named to Federal Committee
Nov 2 2009 // Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica J. Lindeen has been appointed to the North American Securities Administrators Association’s (NASAA) Federal Legislation Committee, a key committee as Congress...
Tennessee Hears Calls for Safety Oversight As ATV Death Toll Rises
Nov 1 2009 // An East Tennessee teenager’s October death in an all terrain vehicle accident brought the state’s 2009 death toll in ATV wrecks to eight, and a national consumer safety spokeswoman said the national death toll...
Calif. Lawmaker Won’t Cede Health Policy Rescissions Fight
Nov 1 2009 // A California assemblyman said he’ll try a third time to get strict measures on when health insurance companies can cancel policies approved into law. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill backed by Assemblyman...
