Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arkansas Lawmakers Pass Measure Banning ‘Accident Tax’
Apr 1 2009 // Arkansas lawmakers have approved a new law that stops local governments from billing motorists for accident response services performed by police departments, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of...
Montana Legislature Defeats ‘Bad Faith’ Legislation
Mar 30 2009 // Montana legislators recently defeated House Bill 345, “An act revising the law governing the damages that may be awarded because of an insurance company’s violation of certain prohibited insurance claim...
Insurance Orgs Urge G-20; Don’t Apply Bank Solutions to Industry
Mar 30 2009 // In an open letter to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, released at the European Insurance Forum in Dublin, a number of the world’s leading insurance organizations urged him to recognize that “insurance has a...
New Kansas Law Bans Cell Phone Use by Young Drivers
Mar 30 2009 // Many young drivers in Kansas won’t be allowed to use their cell phones while behind the wheel starting next year. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has signed legislation that restricts cell phone use for some teenage drivers...
Florida Gov. Crist Names Hill As Compensation Judge
Mar 27 2009 // Florida Governor Charlie Crist has named Marjorie Renee Hill of Tallahassee as Judge of Compensation Claims. Hill, 47, has served as the director of the First District Court of Appeal’s Workers’ Compensation...
Obama Plan Retains Their Insurance Role, Say State Regulators
Mar 27 2009 // According to National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) President and New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny, the most recent financial services regulatory proposal from the Obama Administration...
Obama Plan Would Tighten Regulation of Large Financial Firms
Mar 27 2009 // Wall Street faces curbs on risk taking and the prospect of lower profits under sweeping U.S. proposals to prevent a repeat of the credit crisis. The Obama administration’s plan to rewrite financial rules, announced...
Sonnichsen to be Chief Contact in D.C. on State Insurance Regulation
Mar 27 2009 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has named Ethan Sonnichsen as Government Relations director. Sonnichsen previously served as Government Relations manager. In his new position, Sonnichsen is...
Missouri Senate Repeals Fire Marshal Inspection Rule
Mar 27 2009 // On March 25, Missouri Senators endorsed legislation that would repeal a requirement that fire safety inspections in Missouri long-term care facilities be performed by local fire departments or the state fire...
Insurers Find Geithner Regulatory Plan Unclear on Federal Role
Mar 27 2009 // The nation’s insurance industry found some things to like and not to like in Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s proposed restructuring of financial services regulation. While Secretary Geithner said that any...
California Workers’ Compensation Division Names Temporary Deputy Administrative Director
Mar 26 2009 // While California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) Chief Deputy Administrative Director Carrie Nevans takes temporary personal leave, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Director John Duncan...
Georgia Lawmakers Defeat Pickup Truck Seat Belt Law
Mar 26 2009 // A bid to require adults in pickup trucks to buckle their seat belts was narrowly defeated by a Georgia House panel, defying supporters of stronger safety standards that have been adopted by much of the nation. The House...
Tenn. Lawmaker Drops Immunity Claim in Libel Suit
Mar 26 2009 // A Republican lawmaker in Tennessee has dropped claims of legislative immunity for comments he made on his personal blog that sparked a $750,000 libel lawsuit. State Rep. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville was sued by Roger...
Democrats’ Bills Would Create U.S. Financial Product Safety Commission
Mar 26 2009 // Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday introduced legislation that would create a financial products watchdog to crack down on unsafe lending practices. Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts and Brad Miller of...
Montana Legislature Passes Industry-Backed Captive Insurance Law
Mar 26 2009 // The Montana Legislature has passed abill designed to strengthen the state’s position as a captive domicile. The bill, HB 160, is expected to be signed into law by Governor Brian Schweitzer before the end of the...
Connecticut Lawmakers Delay Vote on AIG Bill
Mar 26 2009 // The Connecticut House of Representatives is not ready to vote on a bill that would stop companies that received federal assistance, such as American International Group Inc., from awarding bonuses under a state...
AIG, Credit Default Swaps and the Lack of Regulation
Mar 25 2009 // Credit default swaps (CDS’s) total $58 trillion in notional value (face value) worldwide and are regulated by…no one; this according to September 23, 2008, testimony given before congress by Christopher Cox, US...
Sen. Nelson Seeks U.S.Help on Florida Hurricane Losses
Mar 25 2009 // U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has asked the U.S. Treasury to provide assurances to private market lenders that any loans they make in Florida would be repaid at fair market interest in the event of a catastrophe. Nelson, however,...
Obama Team Seeks Powers to Wind Down Non-Banks Like AIG
Mar 25 2009 // The Obama administration Tuesday mounted a full-scale push for government authority to shut down troubled institutions like insurer AIG to avoid the need for future bailouts. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner,...
Judge Blocks Some North Carolina Beach Plan Price Hikes, Orders Redo
Mar 25 2009 // A Wake County judge has ordered new North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin to reconsider deductible and surcharge increases for coastal homeowners in the state insurance pool called the Beach Plan. Wake County...
