Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
House Approves Terrorism Insurance Backstop Extension
Sep 20 2007 // The House of Representative approved by a vote 312-110 H.R. 2761, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act of 2007 (TRIREA), legislation that extends and revises the federal terrorism insurance backstop for...
Industry Confident in Terror Reinsurance Renewal Despite White House Veto Threat
Sep 20 2007 // Insurance industry lobbyists are confident there is enough backing in Congress for renewal of the federal terrorism reinsurance program and enough support to override a threatened presidential veto if necessary. The...
Fla. No-Fault Talks Continue; Issue Could be on Special Session Agenda
Sep 19 2007 // Florida lawmakers will have one eye on projections showing the state will face more tax shortfalls over the next three years when they meet in special session next month to cut the current budget, House Speaker Marco Rubio...
Senate Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation
Sep 19 2007 // Capping a long battle, the Senate passed legislation this week that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies include both. The bill, which passed by unanimous consent,...
Miss. Insurance Commissioner Candidates Spar Over Service Records
Sep 19 2007 // The two men running for Mississippi insurance commissioner say encouraging competition is the key to reducing rate payers’ costs as the state continues its recovery from Hurricane Katrina. But that’s about...
New Maine Laws Affect Teens, Drivers, Bicyclists, Elders and Employers
Sep 19 2007 // Like other driving instructors across Maine, Dwight Hawkins has a new lesson to add to his course this fall: If you’re under 18 and behind the wheel, lose the cell phone. As of Sept. 20, a new Maine law will prohibit...
Oregon Updates Rule on Industry Assessments
Sep 18 2007 // Oregon has updated its administrative rules relating to assessments against insurers to fund regulatory functions. The rulemaking, OAR 836-009-0011, implements recently enacted legislation (ch. 560 Oregon Laws 2007,...
Bush Signals Veto of Terrorism Reinsurance Program
Sep 18 2007 // The Bush Administration believes that the federal backup for terrorism reinsurance should be phased out in favor of a private market for terrorism insurance and “strongly opposes efforts to expand the federal...
US, China Agree to Improve Information-Sharing on Auto Safety
Sep 14 2007 // The U.S. government has agreed with China to improve information-sharing on auto safety in the aftermath of a recall of thousands of defective Chinese-made tires over the last several months. The “memorandum of...
Lawmakers Get Mixed Reviews of W. Va.’s BrickStreet
Sep 13 2007 // At least some injured workers and the lawyers who help pursue their claims remain dissatisfied with West Virginia’s workers’ compensation system since it became the private, for-profit BrickStreet Insurance...
R.I.’s Beacon Mutual Begins Paying Fine after Judge Denies Injunction
Sep 12 2007 // Rhode Island workers’ compensation insurer Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. has made the first payment of $500,000 in its fulfillment of a consent order that calls for $2.5 million in fines and policyholder refunds of $7...
Calif. Bills, Laws Target Teen Drivers’ Cell Phones and Text Messages
Sep 11 2007 // Narin Leininger knows about the risks of talking on a cell phone or sending text messages while driving. The 16-year-old high school junior says he’d only use his phone behind the wheel in an emergency — a flat...
S. D. Supreme Court Ruling Overturns Labor Department’s Decision
Sep 10 2007 // A Rapid City, S.D. man who suffered three back injuries while working for the Rapid City School District is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits as a totally and permanently disabled worker, the South Dakota...
S&P Publishes Reinsurance Reports
Sep 10 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has issued a series of reports on the global reinsurance industry, timed to appear as the annual Reinsurance Rendezvous opens its doors in Monte Carlo. The meeting, which...
Demotech Summit: Fla.’s Private Sector Strives to be Heard Amid Political Rate Storm
Sep 10 2007 // Exclusive Video Florida’s Political Hurricane: It’s All About Rates Florida’s property insurance industry is in the middle of the hurricane season — the political hurricane season. The state’s...
Texas Workers’ Comp Conference to Focus on Continuing Reform
Sep 7 2007 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) will host its 2007 Workers’ Compensation Conference on Sept. 19, at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark in Austin, Texas. Joe Anderson, a veteran workers’ compensation...
Federal Judge Allows Class Action Against Disability Insurer Unum
Sep 6 2007 // A federal judge in Chattanooga, Tenn. has granted class-action status to a lawsuit that contends Unum Group, the nation’s largest disability insurer, schemed to deny or terminate claims of thousands of disabled...
Maryland Officials to Explain Good Faith P/C Damage Filings
Sep 6 2007 // The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) will conduct a workshop to explain how it will implement newly enacted legislation that authorizes the award of enhanced damages against property and casualty insurance companies...
Mich. Senate Approves Changes Targeting School Health Costs
Sep 6 2007 // The Michigan GOP-led Senate narrowly approved bills Tuesday aimed at lowering the health insurance costs of K-12 schools and other public employers, a key change Republicans want in exchange for backing a tax...
Industry Skeptical, While Treasury Opposes, Natural Disaster Pool
Sep 6 2007 // Federal legislation that encourages states to pool their catastrophe pool risks and then transfer them to the private market as been greeted with a lukewarm insurance industry reaction at best and outright opposition from...
