Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S.C. Lawmakers Consider Allowing Concealed Weapons on Campuses
May 18 2007 // To prevent school shootings, some South Carolina legislators want more guns on campuses. A House subcommittee approved a measure Wednesday that would allow concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns onto public school...
Ark. Judge Grants Class Status to Truckers Suing Wal-Mart
May 18 2007 // A judge in Little Rock, Ark., has granted class status in a federal lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in which the company is accused of discriminating against black applicants for jobs driving Wal-Mart trucks. In his...
Senate Panel Advances Vehicle Backover Safety Bill
May 18 2007 // New vehicles would need to offer more safety features to address backovers and other potentially devastating accidents involving children under legislation approved this week by a Senate committee. Automakers would be...
Mexican Court Ruling Upholds ING’s $94 Million Fertinal Settlement
May 17 2007 // Seguros ING S.A. de C.V., the Mexican insurance subsidiary of The Netherlands’ ING Group has received official notification from a federal appellate court in Mexico City that its claims dispute with the Mexican...
Washington Insurance Fair Conduct Act Becomes Law
May 16 2007 // Insurance industry associations are criticizing Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire for signing into law the Insurance Fair Conduct Act, a measure they say will raise insurance costs for consumers. According to the American...
Miss. Gov. Announces Grants to Help Revitalize Coastal Communities
May 15 2007 // Grants to help with post-Katrina revitalization projects in 15 coastal Mississippi communities totaling more than $97.2 million will help fund projects such as new fire stations in Bay St. Louis, Moss Point, Picayune,...
Insurers Call for Additional Reforms for Florida Consumers
May 15 2007 // A new Florida law enacted during a 2007 January special session provides immediate savings for homeowners by shifting potential payments for hurricane losses from the homeowners receiving the current policy benefits to...
Ark. Law Firm Opens Insurance Practice in Austin, Texas
May 15 2007 // Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard P.L.L.C., a law firm with offices in Little Rock and Rogers, Ark., announced it has expanded into Texas with the opening of a third office in Austin. Bill Bingham, former...
S&P Lowers Mercury’s Ratings to ‘AA-‘
May 14 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Mercury Casualty Co. (Mercury Casualty), Mercury Insurance Co. (Mercury Insurance), and its financial...
Mo. Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Expand Heath Coverage
May 14 2007 // Some of the roughly 700,000 Missourians lacking health insurance could find it a little more affordable to get. But people who don’t pay their medical bills could lose their state income tax refunds under legislation...
Fla. Lawmakers Urge Gov. Crist to Include KidCare in Special Session
May 11 2007 // Democratic legislative leaders wrote to Gov. Charlie Crist urging him to include simplifying KidCare in the list of things lawmakers try to tackle when they return to the Capitol in late June. More than a half million...
Tenn.: Medical Malpractice Legislation Stalls in House
May 11 2007 // A bipartisan effort by Tennessee lawmakers to limit frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits fell apart Wednesday and has likely stalled for this year. The Senate unanimously passed a similar bill last month to require...
Insurers Say N.J. Bill Would Limit Insureds’ Choice
May 11 2007 // The New Jersey Senate Commerce Committee heard testimony that insurers say could make it more difficult for consumers to choose the level and type of insurance they use. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of...
Auto Safety Backfires at NASCAR, Says Professor
May 11 2007 // A West Virginia University professor who examined 21 years of NASCAR accident reports and made a comparison to introductions of safety requirements, has concluded that more safety regulations in the popular sport has led...
Delaware Senate Bill Permits Restricted Use of Credit Scores
May 11 2007 // The Delaware Senate this week approved legislation that allows insurance companies to continue using credit-based insurance scores while putting in place additional consumer safeguards. Senate Bill 31 as originally...
Legislation Could Help S.C. Coastal Residents with Insurance
May 10 2007 // Residents on the South Carolina coast could see home insurance costs drop with a bill that received key approval Tuesday in the House. The legislation is part of Insurance Director Scott Richardson’s response to...
Winstead Adds Insurance-Focused Attorneys to Austin Office
May 10 2007 // Texas law firm Winstead PC announced it has added two new attorneys, Jeff Autrey and Keith Hopkinson, in its Business/Transaction Department. Autrey represents insurance and insurance-related clients on regulatory matters...
N.D., Iowa, Minn. Support Model Annuity Suitability Regulation
May 10 2007 // NASD and state regulators from North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota announced today that they have signed a joint statement supporting a new rule to require that insurance companies and agencies recommend only suitable annuity...
Judge Denies State Farm Motion to Dismiss Miss. Lawsuit
May 9 2007 // A federal judge has denied State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.’s request to dismiss a lawsuit against the insurer because the policyholders received an emergency Small Business Administration loan to help rebuild their...
West Virginia a ‘Test Ground’ of U.S. Chamber’s Anti-Lawsuit Efforts
May 8 2007 // In its ongoing, multimillion-dollar lobbying and advertising campaign decrying “frivolous” lawsuits and “jackpot” jury awards, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has anointed West Virginia the poster...
