Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Weighs Dropping Financial Firms from Enron Lawsuit
Feb 4 2008 // A federal judge in Houston said Friday she will evaluate whether three high profile financial institutions being sued for $40 billion in connection with Enron Corp.’s collapse should be dropped from litigation after...
Lawmakers Look to Help December Flood Victims
Feb 4 2008 // There’s silence in John Brunoff’s Washington dairy farm, except for the sound of a lone worker hosing an empty 5,000-gallon milk tank. Just nine weeks ago, more than 270 cows filled this organic dairy farm with...
Court: Allstate Can Still Write Policies in Florida, for Now
Feb 4 2008 // Allstate insurance companies can keep on writing new policies in Florida under an appeals court ruling that rejected the state’s attempt to stop them, but which also potentially sets up a quick resolution to the...
Rebuking Agency, Judge Dismisses Katrina Lawsuit Against Corps
Feb 1 2008 // Saying his hands were tied by law, a federal judge in New Orleans dismissed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina, but rebuked the agency for failing to...
Maryland County Proposal Calls for Contracts for Domestic Workers
Feb 1 2008 // Lawmakers in a suburban Washington, D.C. county said this week that domestic workers and their employers should be required to sign contracts to ensure the workers receive fair wages, overtime and other protections against...
Insurers Say Property, Flood Insurance, Regulation Top Concerns in ’08
Feb 1 2008 // A group of insurers says it hopes U.S. lawmakers will continue to focus on the need for affordable property insurance, an optional federal charter for the insurance regulatory system in America, and comprehensive flood...
Lawmakers Want Answers from Mine Administration on Penalties
Jan 31 2008 // Lawmakers want to know why federal mine safety regulators didn’t assess penalties for hundreds of citations issued since 2000, and what is being done to correct the problem. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health...
Colo. Agents Praise Credit Scoring Ban Defeat; Next Up: Wisc.
Jan 31 2008 // As the issue of credit scoring continues to be the subject of state legislative proposals, insurance agents in Colorado are celebrating the defeat of a bill that would have prohibited property/casualty insurers from using...
Judge Sentences Milberg Weiss Lawyer for Class-Action Kickbacks
Jan 31 2008 // A retired attorney who pleaded guilty in a lucrative kickback scheme involving class-action lawsuits against some of America’s largest corporations was sentenced this week in Los Angeles to six months home detention...
National Trade Group Urges Wis. Senate to Reject Credit Ban Proposal
Jan 30 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) recently announced that it is opposing legislation scheduled for a vote by Wisconsin Senate Thursday, Jan. 31st, that would prohibit insurers from using...
Ex-N.M. Deputy Insurance Superintendent Found Guilty
Jan 30 2008 // Federal jurors have convicted former state Deputy Insurance Superintendent Joe Ruiz of trying to coerce insurance companies to donate money to charity in exchange for reducing regulatory fines. The jury returned 30 guilty...
Iowa Counties Urge Lawmakers to Address Liability Issues for Bikers
Jan 30 2008 // The route for this year’s bicycle race, RAGBRAI, is set and counties along its path want lawmakers to address the issue of their liability. The issue arose after Crawford County settled a lawsuit with a woman whose...
NYC Judge Throws Out $1M Jell-O Wrestling Lawsuit
Jan 30 2008 // There’s no room for this Jell-O wrestling lawsuit. A Manhattan judge has thrown out $1 million suit against New York University by a former student who claimed he broke his hip at a Jell-O wrestling dorm party. Avram...
Sen. Sununu Exits Banking Committee
Jan 29 2008 // One of the U.S. senators who has sponsored legislation to give insurance companies the option of being regulated by the federal government instead of by states is leaving the Senate Banking Committee that deals with many...
Wash. AG Supporting Cell Phone Privacy, Internet Safety and Ethics Bills
Jan 29 2008 // Five bills requested by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna are scheduled for public hearings today and Wednesday of this week. The bills would help keep cell phone numbers private, make it a crime to view child...
Insurers to Fight Credit Scoring Ban on Colo. House Floor
Jan 28 2008 // Legislation that would prohibit insurers’ use of credit information narrowly advanced out of the Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee Thursday on a 6-5 vote. According to the Property Casualty Insurers...
Some Ohio Officials Say Too Soon to Measure Impact of Tort Reform Efforts
Jan 28 2008 // Some Ohio state officials aren’t quite ready to say that legislative efforts to cap award amounts and other tort reform efforts are having an impact on dropping claims numbers. The state insurance director said last...
Judge: Miss. Attorney General Must Testify in State Farm Lawsuit
Jan 28 2008 // Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood must testify in a lawsuit filed by State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. that accuses him of violating an agreement to end a criminal investigation of the insurer’s handling of...
Utah Bill to Add Sexual Orientation to Anti-Discrimination Law Still Alive
Jan 28 2008 // Bryan Horn is convinced he recently lost his job at a Utah County credit union because he’s gay. He said he was forced to resign, four days after telling his boss he intended to marry his partner. “They were...
Munson-Regala to Head Minn. Market Assurance Division
Jan 28 2008 // Minnesota Insurance Commissioner Glenn Wilson recently announced that Manny Munson-Regala has been named deputy commissioner and will lead the Market Assurance Division at the Minnesota Department of Commerce....
