Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Trucking Under the Influence
May 19 2008 // Number of Drug and Alcohol Abusing Truckers Unknown It is estimated that somewhere between 1 percent and 10 percent of drivers of commercial or “big rig” trucks are operating under the influence of drugs or...
N.Y. Lawmakers Welcome Governor’s Bid for Stricter Physician Oversight
May 16 2008 // State lawmakers say New York Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to increase doctor oversight and prevent misconduct has a good chance of passing this session — but with changes. Assembly Health Committee Chairman...
N.Y. County to Contractors: Prove Workers Are in U.S. Legally
May 16 2008 // A new law has been passed requiring all of Suffolk County’s (New York) 17,000 licensed contractors to prove their workers are in the United States legally. Critics claim the legislation — passed by the county...
Louisiana Legislature Doing Homework on Insurance, Lobbyist Says
May 16 2008 // About 55 percent of the lawmakers in the 2008 Louisiana Legislature are new to the job but they are doing their homework on insurance issues, one surplus lines insurance industry representative says. David Tatman of Baton...
Maine Court Rules State Not to Blame for Crash on Road without Stripes
May 15 2008 // The state supreme court has set aside a jury’s verdict that the Maine Department of Transportation was partly to blame in a hit-and-run crash because it took too long to paint stripes on Route 302. A jury awarded...
Report: Bush Administration Rulemaking Limits Consumer Lawsuits
May 15 2008 // Faced with an unfriendly Congress, the Bush administration has found another, quieter way to make it more difficult for consumers to sue businesses over faulty products. It’s rewriting the bureaucratic...
Georgia Auto Insurance Legislation Leaves Regulator out of the Loop
May 15 2008 // Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill that will give automobile insurers the ability to establish rates without the consent of the state’s Insurance Commissioner. Perdue said he signed Senate Bill 276 because he...
Pennsylvania Prosecutors Say Ex-Judge Can Get Fair Trial in Erie
May 13 2008 // Pennsylvania prosecutors say former Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce’s insurance fraud trial should remain in Erie’s federal court. The 59-year-old Joyce wants the trial moved to U.S. District Court in...
Oklahoma Gov. Henry Vetoes Lawsuit Reform Bill
May 12 2008 // As promised, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has vetoed lawsuit reform legislation he said conflicts with an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision on a similar bill that the court found unconstitutional two years ago. Henry issued the...
Missouri Businesses Sue to Stop Fee Increases on Vehicle Records
May 12 2008 // Three businesses sued on Friday, May 9th to halt a state fee increase for obtaining driver’s license and vehicle records, claiming the higher fee violates Missouri’s open-records law as well the state and...
Colorado Bill Gives Regulator Authority to Demand Insurance Compensation
May 9 2008 // Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has signed a bill that will allow the state Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), and its Division of Insurance the legal authority to demand that insurance companies or agents compensate...
New York Agents Want to Rein in State Workers’ Comp Insurer
May 9 2008 // A trade group for New York insurance agents wants to rewrite the laws governing the New York State Insurance Fund – a nonprofit state agency which is New York’s largest workers’ compensation insurer...
Missouri Lawmaker Balks at Driver’s License Records Fee Increase
May 8 2008 // A leading House Republican said Tuesday, May 6, he will try before the legislative session ends next week to reverse a Department of Revenue decision to increase fees charged to access driver’s license...
Judge in West Virginia Approves Settlements of 3 King Lawsuits
May 8 2008 // A circuit judge has approved settlements totaling $2.4 million of three malpractice lawsuits that accused a former West Virginia doctor of harming patients. Lawyers for Putnam General Hospital and the hospital’s...
Oklahoma Lawsuit Reform Measure Heads to Gov. Henry
May 8 2008 // Legislation requiring an expert opinion confirming professional negligence before a lawsuit can be filed is headed to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry after final passage in the House of Representatives. House Bill 2458 would...
Maine Bans Sale of Toys with Lead
May 7 2008 // Environmental health advocates say Maine’s new law to ban lead in toys makes the state a national leader. As of July 2009, the law will ban the sale of children’s products in Maine that contain lead, including...
Senate Advances Renewal of Flood Insurance without Wind Coverage
May 7 2008 // A bill to renew the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) passed a key test vote in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, with aides saying they expected final action on the legislation before the end of the week. The Senate agreed...
Okla. Lawmaker with Ties to Industry Blocks Insurance Bills
May 6 2008 // An Oklahoma lawmaker who has blocked legislation that would require health insurers to cover a variety of medical procedures and conditions has accepted thousands of dollars in donations from individuals or political...
Mass. Agents Take Aim at Progressive Online; Insurer Defends Site
May 6 2008 // Independent agents in Massachusetts have charged that Progressive Insurance, which began selling auto insurance online in the state May 1, is skirting state regulations and misleading consumers with its Web site quoting...
House, Senate to Confer on Differing Product Safety Bills
May 5 2008 // U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor will head a conference committee on legislation to strengthen consumer product safety efforts, and says the group will meet soon. The Democrat from Arkansas, who chairs the committee, said the group...
