Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

The New Frontier: Hidden exposures and brewing claims in the tech liability field

Mar 26 2007 // Information technology companies may explore the new frontier everyday, but do they know where their exposures lie? Will they be ready for the next big liability risk close encounter? “Owners and or creators of IT...

S.C. Expands Wind Insurance Program Along Coast to More Insureds

Mar 26 2007 // A state-run insurance program has been expanded slightly to provide relief for some coastal homeowners grappling with skyrocketing premiums, and Gov. Mark Sanford and other lawmakers promised a tax-incentive plan to help,...

Handle customer data with care — it’s the law

Mar 26 2007 // Insurance agents and brokers constantly deal with customers’ personal information. Yet many in the industry may not be aware of the legal requirements for handling or storing this information. How should agents and...

New Mexico passes regulatory modernization bill

Mar 26 2007 // The New Mexico legislature has passed a bill that would establish a file and use rate regulatory system for most personal lines of insurance. The Insurance Rate Regulation Law, SB 483, applies to all kinds and lines of...

Top 10 ways for California surplus line brokers to avoid E&O exposures

Mar 26 2007 // Editor’s note: Although this article is geared toward California surplus line brokers, with small variations the same advice may be of help to surplus line and retail brokers in other states. Surplus line brokers...

Court ruling indicates claims made policy language ambiguous

Mar 26 2007 // A recent San Diego Superior Court ruling serves as a potential warning to legal malpractice insurers to review policy language to ensure their claims made policies can’t be more broadly construed as occurrence...

Workers’ compensation bills head to House floor in Colorado

Mar 26 2007 // The Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee has approved two workers’ compensation bills: one affecting employee’s choice of physician and another affecting firefighters. House Bill 1176 would...

Top 10 ways for California surplus line brokers to avoid E&O exposures

Mar 26 2007 // Editor’s note: Although this article is geared toward California surplus line brokers, with small variations the same advice may be of help to surplus line and retail brokers in other states. Surplus line brokers...

As hedge fund industry matures, so do its liability risks

Mar 26 2007 // There are three things you can be sure will happen during your time on earth: death, taxes and plaintiff’s attorneys chasing the money. Hedge funds have the money! However, hedge fund managers are the epitome of...

N.J. high court rules first responders can sue negligent property owners

Mar 26 2007 // The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that when police and firefighters get hurt handling an emergency, they may sue and win compensation if negligence contributed to the injury. The unanimous decision found that a 1993 state...

Miss. Gov. Barbour Signs Wind Pool Premium Relief Bill

Mar 26 2007 // Gov. Haley Barbour signed a new law on March 22 designed to shore up Mississippi’s insurer of last resort and to bring economic stability to a state still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. After Katrina plowed...

La. lawmakers support overhaul of Citizens Insurance Company

Mar 26 2007 // Two Louisiana lawmakers said they support a plan to overhaul the state-backed insurance company by opening much of its business to bidding among private firms. Sen. James David Cain, chairman of the Senate Insurance...

Workers’ compensation bills head to House floor in Colorado

Mar 26 2007 // The Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee has approved two workers’ compensation bills: one affecting employee’s choice of physician and another affecting firefighters. House Bill 1176 would...

Judge Rules Claims Made Policy Language Ambiguous

Mar 23 2007 // A recent San Diego Superior Court ruling serves as a potential warning to legal malpractice insurers to review policy language to ensure their claims made policies can’t be more broadly construed as occurrence...

Congressional Democrats Call for Improved Bus Inspections

Mar 23 2007 // House Democrats called for better inspections and tougher standards for bus operators this week after the recent crash in Atlanta that left five college baseball players dead. In a House hearing that highlighted partisan...

Okla. Judge Orders New Trial in Ford Rollover Lawsuit

Mar 23 2007 // A federal judge in Tulsa, Okla., has ordered a new trial in a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co., finding improper conduct by a plaintiff’s attorney and vacating a $15 million jury award to a couple whose son was killed...

Nevada Lawmaker Proposes State Worker Retirement Age

Mar 22 2007 // Nevada State Sen. Bob Coffin says he’s working on a proposal to reduce a $6 billion unfunded liability of Nevada’s public employees retirement system by setting a mandatory minimum retirement age similar to...

Plumeri Speaks to FSA on ‘Principles-based’ Regulation Decision

Mar 22 2007 // In an address to the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) at its Annual Insurance Sector Conference (AISC), Willis Chairman and CEO Joe Plumeri strongly embraced the financial regulator’s announcement that...

Mass. Extends Deadline for Key Health Care Plan Requirement

Mar 22 2007 // The board that oversees Massachusetts’ landmark health insurance law voted this week to delay key elements of the plan by a year and a half to give residents and businesses a chance to ramp up their health care...

Ore. Examines Ways to Extend Time Off for Pregnancies

Mar 21 2007 // One of the toughest decisions a mother can face is between caring for a new infant and returning to work. The first few months of life are a critical bonding time between mother and child; however, with few companies...