Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
U.S. Insurers Face Uphill Battle to Alter Foreign Insurers’ Tax Break
May 5 2008 // A coalition of U.S. insurers is calling on lawmakers to close a tax loophole that helps foreign insurers, and although it has won the support of presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, it faces a harder task convincing...
Judge Upholds Conn. Widow’s Settlement
May 5 2008 // A Greenwich, Connecticut probate judge has upheld a settlement of more than $1 million between a cruise ship line and the widow of a missing passenger. George Smith IV of Greenwich had been on a 12-night honeymoon cruise...
Insurers not Impressed with Florida’s Revamped Insurance Package
May 5 2008 // While many Florida lawmakers claim to be opposed to gambling, they don’t mind taking a chance on Mother Nature. They rolled the dice again on May 1, signing off on a new insurance bill that does little to alleviate...
Main Street Insurance Agents Facing ‘Trojan Horses,’ Says Agent Leader
May 5 2008 // Main Street insurance agents are facing an onslaught with a number of “Trojan Horses” suddenly appearing, all designed to help their competitors win over market share. That is the assessment of the...
Judge: Corps of Engineers Can Be Sued for Katrina Flooding
May 5 2008 // The Army Corps of Engineers can be held liable for flood damage caused by a “hurricane highway,” a navigation channel that is believed to have funneled Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge into the city, a...
Update: Central Florida Commuter Rail Stopped Dead in its Tracks
May 5 2008 // A deal to bring commuter rail to central Florida failed to win approval from the Legislature on May 2 and isn’t expected to move ahead any time soon with federal dollars for the project likely to dry up. Under the...
Kansas Governor Says Health Care Legislation Falls Short
May 5 2008 // Legislators sent Gov. Kathleen Sebelius a health care bill that supporters say provides greater access to health care for many Kansans and saves them money on insurance. But Sebelius doesn’t think it goes far...
Auto Exempted From Colorado Fair Accountable Insurance Rates Act
May 5 2008 // After much testimony and deliberation on Colorado House Bill 1389, the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee has amended a controversial bill that insurance associations said would have imposed a prior approval...
Time to Expand Risk Retention Law to Property
May 5 2008 // The Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986 (LRRA) was enacted for the specific purpose of providing options to businesses and nonprofit organizations that were having trouble finding commercial liability insurance that...
California Aims to Improve Insurance Rate Approval Process
May 5 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has issued emergency regulations that he believes will clarify and streamline the prior approval rate system for insurance. However, a consumer advocacy group said the...
Consumer Federation Says Prior Approval Works, Industry Says Not True
May 5 2008 // A nationwide consumer study of automobile insurance regulation says rates have risen more slowly in the 15 states that require insurers to receive advance approval of rate increases from the state in the past two...
Rep. Kanjorski: Federal Government Must Learn About Insurance Before Regulating It
May 5 2008 // A key Congressman involved in insurance regulation issues says that Washington does not have the knowledge of the insurance industry it needs to regulate the business and he has proposed a new federal insurance information...
Risk Retention Groups Could Add Property Coverage Under Bill in Congress
May 5 2008 // Legislation designed to modernize the federal Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA) of 1986 was introduced into Congress on April 15. HR 5792, or the “Increasing Insurance Coverage Options for Consumers Act of...
