Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Defense Rests Without Pennsylvania Judge Taking Stand

Nov 14 2008 // The defense has rested without a retired Pennsylvania appellate judge testifying about charges that he faked or exaggerated neck and back injuries to collect $440,000 from two insurance companies. Federal prosecutors in...

Mich. Hosts Hearings on Auto Insurance Affordability; Industry Counters

Nov 13 2008 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Regulation’s consumer advocate is hosting a series of public hearings on the issue of insurance affordability. Melvin Butch Hollowell was appointed by Governor Jennifer M....

Survey Finds World Business Leaders Back More Regulation

Nov 12 2008 // Business leaders around the world back greater regulation in response to the global financial crisis, a survey showed on Wednesday, with support strongest for curbs on credit rating firms, hedge funds and structured...

Pennsylvania Judges Testify in Retired Judge’s Insurance Fraud Case

Nov 12 2008 // Several Pennsylvania judges appeared in a federal courtroom Monday to defend one of their own: retired Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce. Joyce, 59, is being tried on mail fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly...

N. D. Judge Denys Request to Move Trial of Former Workers’ Comp Head

Nov 12 2008 // A judge has denied North Dakota’s former workers’ compensation director’s request to move his criminal trial out of Burleigh County. Sandy Blunt faces two felony charges that accuse him of misspending...

New Colorado Car Insurance Law Drives Consumer Education

Nov 11 2008 // Starting this month, the mail and inboxes of Colorado drivers will begin filling up with notices from their car insurance companies informing customers of a new “opt-out” requirement due to a new Colorado Law...

Judge Approves Settlement in InfoGroup Shareholder Lawsuit

Nov 10 2008 // A Delaware judge has approved a settlement in a shareholder lawsuit brought against database provider InfoGroup Inc. over abusive personal spending by founder Vinod Gupta. The settlement approved by Chancellor William...

Construction Industry: New York City Crane Regulations Go Too Far

Nov 7 2008 // It takes a lot of paper to raise a crane in New York City these days. Maintenance records, tests certifying operators, and proof that a safety meeting has been held are among the documents required in the city since two...

Collaboration With Insurance Agents Aids in State Regulation

Nov 5 2008 // The property/casualty insurance marketplace could not function without insurance agents and brokers. Consequently, it’s important for state regulators to work with agents within their states. Recently, several...

Missouri Judge Refuses to Toss Lawsuit Against Blunt

Nov 5 2008 // A judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit by a former aide to Gov. Matt Blunt claiming defamation and other wrongdoing in his September 2007 firing. Scott Eckersley, the former staff attorney in Blunt’s office, sued...

Industry Can Expect Change Whether Obama or McCain Wins

Nov 4 2008 // As Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama comes down the homestretch leading Republican rival John McCain, corporate America is bracing for what lies beyond the finish line. After the election Tuesday, major...

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Race Down to the Wire

Nov 4 2008 // The race for the commissioner’s spot in North Dakota has been a lively exchange from the beginning. Incumbent Adam Hamm, a Republican, is running for his first four-year term as insurance commissioner. He was...

Top Republican Lawmaker Asks AIG to Explain Use of Federal Funds

Nov 3 2008 // U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has asked troubled insurer American International Group Inc to provide full details of its use of a $123 billion government bailout. AIG,...

New Hampshire Police Chief-Lawmaker Wants Tougher Drunk Driving Law

Nov 3 2008 // A New Hampshire state lawmaker who also works as a police chief wants to make it illegal for suspected drunken drivers to refuse to take breath tests. Dalton Police Chief John Tholl, a Republican, believes the current...

Higher Gas Prices Drive Down Auto Rates, Drive Up Politics Over Regulation in New York

Nov 2 2008 // In New York, there exists a curious relationship between gas prices and insurance premiums, at least in government officials’ minds. Gov. David Paterson said his state’s efforts to rein in insurance rates by...

Brooke Corp. Troubles Continue as Stock is Sold

Nov 2 2008 // Kansas Franchise Group Faces Lawsuits in Multiple States Amid the flurry of lawsuits leveled by franchisees, now an Illinois company connected to a bank involved in the lawsuit of the parent company of Brooke Corp. has...

Kentucky Weathering AIG and Ike Hurricanes

Nov 2 2008 // Sharon P. Clark, a 17-year veteran of Kentucky state government, was appointed commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) in June. Clark’s experience includes five years as director of the Consumer...

Law Changes Defense in Construction Defect Claims

Nov 2 2008 // New California Law Affects Wraps’ Indemnity Contracts, Could Increase Litigation California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved legislation affecting indemnity for construction defect claims in contracts in...

Global Crisis Dominates A.M. Best’s London Conference

Nov 2 2008 // Execs Say Market Remains Attractive Even as Crisis Puts Pressure on Prices The by now all too familiar litany of the world’s financial woes took pride of place at A.M. Best’s conference in London on Oct. 15....

Nevada Cap on Medical Damage Awards Draws Criticism

Oct 31 2008 // As 59-year-old Richard Krikalo lumbers through the office of a junkyard he helps manage, he bumps into a desk and clips a wastebasket with his right leg. Krikalo is almost blind in his right eye and has trouble with depth...