Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senators Demand Details, Officials Admit Regulatory Gaps on AIG
Mar 6 2009 // U.S. regulators failed to spot how much risk insurer AIG was piling on, and by the time they understood, they had no choice but to pour in tens of billions of public dollars, officials said Thursday. At a Senate Banking...
Federal Court Rules Vatican Can Be Sued Over Abuse
Mar 6 2009 // federal appeals court has kept alive a challenge to the sovereign immunity of the Vatican by upholding a ruling that victims of sexual abuse by priests can sue the Holy See. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed...
U.S. Lawmaker Says AIG Failure Would ‘Bring Down Europe’
Mar 6 2009 // The U.S. government rescued giant insurer American International Group in part because its collapse would dramatically hurt European banks, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Thursday. The U.S. government has bailed out AIG...
Hawaii Lawmakers Advance Cap on Medical Malpractice Awards
Mar 6 2009 // A bill to put caps on damages in medical malpractice cases is making its way through the Hawaii Legislature. The measure approved by the House Judiciary Committee is supported by doctors. The committee had rejected similar...
Workers Charge Kentucky Mine Safety Law ‘Under Attack’
Mar 6 2009 // Critics are complaining that three measures pending in the Kentucky legislature could undo key provisions of the state’s mine safety law. One would sharply reduce inspections performed by the Kentucky Office of Mine...
Judge Says AIG Claim Against Ex-CEO Greenberg’s Firm Can Proceed
Mar 5 2009 // A federal judge has rejected a bid to dismiss one of three remaining claims brought by AIG in a court battle against Starr International Co., a company controlled by former AIG Chief Executive Maurice “Hank”...
Supreme Court Weighs When Elected Judges Should Step Aside
Mar 5 2009 // Concerned about dwindling confidence in the impartiality of judges, the Supreme Court leaned this toward forcing elected judges to step aside from cases that would raise an appearance of bias if they took part. “Our...
New York Insurance Chief Dinallo’s U.S. Senate Testimony on AIG
Mar 5 2009 // Testimony by New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo to the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Hearing on “American International Group: Examining What Went Wrong, Government...
Kentucky Lawmaker’s Mine Cited For Safety Violation
Mar 4 2009 // A Kentucky lawmaker pushing to reduce the number of medics required at small mines owns a mine that was cited last year for not having the personnel on duty. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that state inspectors last...
Legislation Seeking to Reduce Oklahoma’s Uninsured Passes House
Mar 4 2009 // A comprehensive plan to provide Oklahomans with increased access to affordable, quality health care and private insurance passed the state’s House of Representatives. House Bill 2026, by House Speaker Pro Tem Kris...
Judge Dismisses UConn Law Library Construction Lawsuit
Feb 27 2009 // A judge has dismissed the state’s lawsuit against contractors involved in the building of the University of Connecticut law school library, saying the state waited too long. Waterbury Superior Court Judge William...
U.S. Senate Panel Sets March 5 Hearing on AIG
Feb 26 2009 // The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a hearing on March 5 to examine government aid to insurer American International Group Inc, a source familiar with the hearing said Wednesday. Federal Reserve Board Vice...
North Carolina Insurance Chief Warns Against Coastal Rate Freeze
Feb 25 2009 // Legislative efforts to freeze big insurance rate increases for coastal homeowners risk making policies less available and more costly for all state residents, North Carolina’s new insurance commissioner said. Such...
Kentucky Considers Forcing Drunk Drivers to Install Ignition Devices
Feb 24 2009 // People caught driving drunk in Kentucky just once could be forced to install breath-alcohol monitoring devices in their cars, as the state’s lawmakers consider joining other states, including Alaska, in toughening...
Returning Florida Lawmakers’ Agenda Includes Property Insurance Woes
Feb 23 2009 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s political mantra has been to hold down property insurance rates, taxes and almost anything else costly for people he wants voting for him next year. Whether Crist seeks re-election or Mel...
Disasters Put Oklahoma $21M in Debt
Feb 23 2009 // From ice storms to tornadoes, from floods to wildfires, Oklahoma has amassed $21 million in disaster debt the past two years while enduring a record number of deadly catastrophes that have destroyed roads, bridges and...
Arkansas Senate OKs Restricting Crash Report Access
Feb 23 2009 // A proposal to temporarily restrict access to traffic-accident reports that’s working its way through Arkansas’ Legislature has raised concerns from at least one opponent that it could open the state up to a...
Vermont Weighs Expansion of Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Feb 22 2009 // Vermont lawmakers will consider a bill that would extend workers’ compensation to cover mental and emotional problems suffered on the job. But the proposal is getting a cool reception from the insurance...
New York Proposes Compensation Disclosure Rules for Agents
Feb 22 2009 // Despite earning praise from major insurance brokerages, a proposed new regimen of compensation disclosure rules for insurance producers has New York agents on edge. The draft regulations issued earlier this month include...
Industry Blasts Granholm’s Rate Freeze, Advocate’s Report
Feb 22 2009 // Insurance trade groups have come out swinging against Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s call for auto insurers to freeze rates until lawmakers can enact some of the reforms in a report by the state’s insurance...
