Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ala. Lawmaker’s Son One of Two Arrested in Arson Cases
Jan 25 2008 // The son of an Alabama legislator is one of two men charged with arson and attempted burglary in what Cullman County authorities say is an investigation of suspicious fires in the Hanceville, Ala., area. Jerrod Heath Fite,...
Fla. Insurance Regulator Files to Reinstate Allstate Suspension
Jan 24 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation filed its response with the First District Court of Appeal seeking to have a suspension of the Allstate Companies’ certificates of authority reinstated. The 12-page response...
Bills Filed in Okla. to Reduce Smoking, Protect Minors From Smoke
Jan 24 2008 // Oklahoma legislators seem to have smoking on their minds. Recently filed bills aimed at smoking issues would require the sales of “fire safe” cigarettes, require insurance companies to provide coverage for...
House Passes Flood Insurance Reform Legislation
Jan 24 2008 // The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3959, sponsored by Financial Services Committee Chairman, Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), legislation that would gradually phase-out some of the subsidies...
Calif. Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Some Risky Mortgages
Jan 24 2008 // A California legislator on Wednesday introduced a lending-regulation bill that seeks to mandate the obvious — that people who want to buy a home can actually afford the mortgage, property taxes and insurance. The...
N.Y. Panel Urges London-Style Financial Services Regulation
Jan 23 2008 // A commission helping redraft the regulatory framework for New York’s finance industry is considering placing greater emphasis on “principles” than on strictly defined rules, Gov. Eliot Spitzer...
Arkansas Wants More Time to Comply with REAL ID Law
Jan 23 2008 // Arkansas officials have asked for more time to implement post-Sept. 11 rules for new driver’s licenses. States face a May 11 deadline to comply with the REAL ID regulations, but Arkansas has requested a...
Vermont Captive Insurance Leader Crouse to Retire
Jan 22 2008 // Leonard Crouse, Vermont deputy commissioner of Captive Insurance and a fixture in the state’s captive insurance industry for 18 years, has announced his plans to retire effective June 1. For more than 30 years Crouse...
New York Increasing Efforts to Attract More Muni-Bond Insurers
Jan 22 2008 // The victory scored last month when the Empire State enticed Berkshire Hathaway to begin writing municipal bond insurance in New York is part of a larger strategy to help stabilize the faltering market for that coverage,...
Utah Lawmakers Consider Revoking Driving Privilege Cards
Jan 22 2008 // Utah lawmakers may consider restricting or revoking driving privilege cards for undocumented immigrants when the 2008 Legislature convenes this week. Created in 2005, the cards allow immigrants to drive legally —...
Miss. Judge Removes Himself from Cases Amid Federal Probe
Jan 21 2008 // A Mississippi judge says he disqualified himself from hearing several lawsuits because federal authorities were investigating allegations that powerful plaintiffs attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs tried to...
Three Okla. Lawmakers Return Donations Linked to Former Commissioner Scandal
Jan 18 2008 // Three Oklahoma state representatives, all Republicans, say they are returning campaign contributions given to them by the son of a man linked to convicted former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher. Reps. Jeff...
Appeals Court Rules for Miss. Lawmakers in Raid on Insurance Fund
Jan 18 2008 // The Mississippi Legislature had authority to raid an insurance fund in 2004 to balance the state budget, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The Mississippi Surplus Lines Association sued the state after the...
AAA Calls Child Safety Laws Inadequate
Jan 18 2008 // Thirty years after the enactment of the nation’s first child safety seat law, a new survey shows parents strongly support child safety seats and child seat laws. Yet nearly 100 children under age five die every year...
Tennessee Restaurant Owners Looking at $4.8M Worker’s Comp Bill
Jan 18 2008 // Restaurant owners across Tennessee may have to pay thousands each to shore up a workers’ compensation fund that the state says was mismanaged. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is suing Ronnie Hart,...
Nearly 1M in Tenn. Drive without Insurance; Lawmaker Wants Change
Jan 18 2008 // Cardella Cummings’ car wreck left her dizzy and confused. Her insurance paid for the damage, but not because the accident was her fault. “I thought you had to have insurance because it’s the law,”...
House Democrats Pass Mine Safety Bill Despite Bush Veto Threat
Jan 18 2008 // Defying White House veto threats, the Democratic-controlled House this week passed sweeping mine safety legislation aimed at preventing future underground disasters like the one that took nine lives last year at Crandall...
Va. Takes Step Toward Repeal of Costly Bad Driver Fees
Jan 18 2008 // The costly bad-driving fees on Virginians took a first step toward repeal in a chaotic proceeding this week, barely six months after they took effect. Lawmakers, however, stripped the bill of reimbursements for people who...
Fla. Halts Allstate from Writing New Business in All Lines; Insurer Appeals
Jan 18 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued a final order immediately suspending Allstate Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries from writing any new business in all lines of insurance in Florida – including auto...
New Federal Mine Safety Legislation up for Vote
Jan 17 2008 // More than two dozen Appalachian families who have lost loved ones in coal accidents are supporting a federal bill that would mandate more safety measures. Among the supporters are the widows of the 2006 Kentucky Darby...
