Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Legislators Want to Modify Catastrophe Response After Ike
Mar 10 2009 // Nursing homes were left without electricity and medical evacuees flooded hospitals during Hurricane Ike, but more than a dozen bills pending in the Texas Legislature could help change the way state agencies and facilities...
Oklahoma GOP Squeezing Opponents of Lawsuit Reform
Mar 10 2009 // Republicans lawmakers eager for new civil justice guidelines that would change the way Oklahomans file and litigate lawsuits are putting the squeeze on their opponents with a flurry of legislation that offers a variety of...
Wyeth Ruling Could Bring Improved Drug Safety, More Lawsuits
Mar 9 2009 // A Supreme Court ruling this week that federal approval of a drug is no protection from lawsuits in state courts could make drugmakers more cautious about safety issues and may lead them to halt development of some...
How AIG Fell Through the Regulatory Cracks
Mar 9 2009 // U.S. lawmakers blasted state and federal regulators for dodging blame and keeping secrets after the failure of insurance giant American International Group Inc., which now has access to more than $170 billion in taxpayer...
Medical Device Makers Could Face Increased State Liability Claims
Mar 9 2009 // Following the recent Supreme Court decision that federal rules do not protect drugmakers from state lawsuits, Democrats in Congress have moved to overturn a decision that has shielded medical device companies from similar...
A Letter to the President
Mar 9 2009 // President Barack Obama recently received the following letter from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America congratulating him on becoming the 44th President of the United States of America, and...
South Carolina Debates Workers’ Compensation for Illegal Immigants
Mar 9 2009 // South Carolina legislators are pushing a bill to cut workers’ compensation benefits for illegal immigrants in an effort to strengthen what’s already one of the nation’s toughest laws aimed at keeping...
A Letter to the President
Mar 9 2009 // President Barack Obama recently received the following letter from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America congratulating him on becoming the 44th President of the United States of America, and...
Securities Lawsuit Filings Are Up, So What About D&O Pricing?
Mar 9 2009 // The pace of securities lawsuit filings increased significantly in 2008 compared to recent years. There were 226 new securities lawsuits filed in 2008, which represents a 31 percent increase over the 172 securities lawsuits...
The Flood Insurance Coverage Paradox
Mar 9 2009 // You May Not Know What You Think You Know About Flood Insurance Claims When dealing with claims under flood insurance policies, you may be surprised that many things you think you know are wrong, and, particularly for...
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...
