Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ex-Pennsylvania Judge Found Guilty of Insurance Fraud

Nov 30 2008 // A retired Pennsylvania appellate judge was convicted of mail fraud and money laundering after prosecutors said he lied about neck and back injuries in a fender bender to collect $440,000 from two insurance...

OECD Says Changes Needed in US, EU Market Supervision

Nov 25 2008 // Overhauls of U.S. market supervision and European policy coordination are needed to plug regulatory gaps highlighted by the market crisis, the OECD said in its latest economic outlook. Initially billed as a first step to...

Thumbs Down on Late Malpractice Suit, West Virigina Court Rules

Nov 25 2008 // The West Virginia Supreme Court says a man who found a piece of scalpel in his thumb can’t press his claim because he waited too long to file his lawsuit. In a 4-1 ruling, the high court said Paul and Melissa Forshey...

Iowa Supreme Court Rules on Case of Woman with Cancer Diagnosis

Nov 24 2008 // The Iowa Supreme Court issued a ruling on Nov. 21 that sends the case of a woman who sued her doctors for failing to diagnose breast cancer back to a lower court for more proceedings. In her lawsuit filed in Scott County...

Illinois Lawmakers Pass Autism Law; Only Six States Require Coverage

Nov 24 2008 // Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is expected to sign a bill requiring insurers to cover autism treatment up to $36,000 a year until a patient turns 21. An estimated 4,500 Illinois families would benefit from the coverage....

Fire Officials Worry About Homemade Bodiesel

Nov 24 2008 // As the price of fuel increased in recent months, Arizona authorities are wondering about hte potential toxicity of homemade biodiesel. Phoenix fire officials say it’s part of a trend of area residents using chemicals...

Ex-Pennsylvania Judge Found Guilty of Insurance Fraud

Nov 21 2008 // A retired Pennsylvania appellate judge was convicted of mail fraud and money laundering after prosecutors said he lied about neck and back injuries in a fender bender to collect $440,000 from two insurance...

Massachusetts AG Wants Hearing on Insurance Company’s Auto Rates

Nov 21 2008 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has asked the Division of Insurance to initiate an administrative rate proceeding to review the new auto insurance rates of Premier Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Travelers...

Ohio Director Says No to Federal Oversight, No to National Cat Plan

Nov 20 2008 // A public servant, attorney and community leader, Mary Jo Hudson officially took office as the 46th director of the Ohio Department of Insurance on Jan. 8, 2007. Just coming up on two years in office, Hudson speaks her mind...

Ohio Judge Sides With Challenge on Workers’ Comp

Nov 20 2008 // An Ohio judge on Nov. 18 blocked the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation from setting job-injury insurance rates while a lawsuit brought by several business owners moves forward. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge...

Massachusetts Extends Deadline for Businesses to Encrypt Data

Nov 19 2008 // The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has extended by at least four months a deadline for businesses to electronically encrypt digital records of their customers’ personal information. The new regulations – which...

Lloyd’s Expects U.S. To Adopt Federal Regulation of Insurance

Nov 19 2008 // Pushed by the global economic crisis, the United States is expected to embrace federal regulation of the insurance industry as early as 2009, according to some financial and insurance executives. Federal regulation in the...

Wisconsin Emergency Plan Calls for Secret Succession List

Nov 19 2008 // Wisconsin lawmakers would submit secret lists of emergency successors under a bill a state disaster committee adopted Wednesday. The Legislative Council Special Committee on Emergency Management and Continuity of...

Judge Throws Out ‘Bad Faith’ Claim Against Texas Mutual

Nov 19 2008 // A judge in Guadalupe County, Texas, has dismissed a case alleging that Texas Mutual Insurance Company acted in “bad faith” in a workers’ compensation case involving a pre-existing medical condition. Texas...

Michigan Consumer Advocate Hosts Final Public Hearing in Detroit

Nov 18 2008 // Michigan’s Automobile and Home Insurance Consumer Advocate Melvin Butch Hollowell held the final public hearing in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 15 to hear from consumers and industry experts about the affordability of...

Treasurer Paulson Defends Actions; Says There’s ‘No Playbook’ for Crisis

Nov 18 2008 // U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. told members of the House Committee on Financial Services that there is “no playbook” for dealing with the current financial crisis and defended the...

Oklahoma Lawmaker Renews Push for Workers’ Comp Reform

Nov 18 2008 // Laying the groundwork for the coming legislative session, Oklahoma state Rep. Mark McCullough recently presented a workers’ comp reform proposal to business leaders that he believes will drive down costs while...

Main Points from G20 Leaders Summit Communique

Nov 17 2008 // G20 leaders agreed to take rapid action, including fiscal stimulus measures as needed, to stabilize financial markets and restore growth in worsening global economy, according to a draft communique. They also support...

Closings Set in Insurance Fraud Trial of Former Pennsylania Judge

Nov 17 2008 // A federal court jury in Pittsburgh has had a long weekend to mull nearly three weeks of testimony in the fraud trial of a retired Pennsylvania appellate judge. Testimony wrapped up Thursday and the jury will return today...

Supporters Ask Illinois Supeme Court to Uphold Malpractice Caps

Nov 17 2008 // A 2005 law limiting the amount of money juries may award in medical malpractice cases unfairly targets those most seriously injured who deserve the most compensation, lawyers told the Illinois Supreme Court on Nov....