Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ariz. lawmakers move to raise burden of proof on ER suits
Feb 25 2007 // The Arizona Senate has narrowly approved a medical malpractice bill to raise the bar on the legal burden of proof required for malpractice lawsuits involving emergency medical care. The Senate approved the bill 16-12,...
8 Agents welcome windstorm debate
Feb 25 2007 // Insurers warn against subsidies 10 Safeco to cut homeowners, commercial rates 200,000 Calif. customers to benefit, company says 10 Ariz. lawmakers move to raise burden of proof on ER suits Identical bill vetoed by Gov....
Congress gets bipartisan bills to repeal insurance antitrust immunity
Feb 25 2007 // News Currents Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, joined with Senate Democratic and Republican leaders earlier this month to introduce a bipartisan bill that would strip the insurance industry...
Coming To The Rescue
Feb 25 2007 // Bernd (Bernie) G. Heinze, executive director of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA), recalls a perfect example of the regulatory difficulties the surplus lines industry faces. A colleague at a...
U.S. Rep. Backs Maine Effort to Repeal Federal Drivers License Act
Feb 23 2007 // U.S. Rep. Tom Allen joined with a group of Democratic state lawmakers at the Maine State House on Tuesday to amplify his call for the repeal and replacement of the federal homeland security law known as the Real ID...
N.J. High Court Rules Schools Must Protect Kids from Harassment
Feb 23 2007 // New Jersey public schools can be held liable for repeated, prolonged student-on-student sexual harassment, the state Supreme Court ruled this week in a case brought by a boy who contended he was victimized by years of...
Nevada Lawmakers Debate Policy on Drug Tests for Injured Workers
Feb 22 2007 // Injured Nevada workers could face required drug tests to prevail in insurance disputes, under an industry-backed proposal debated by state legislators. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee recently heard testimony on...
In R.I., Beacon Mutual Gets Long-Awaited Conduct Report from State
Feb 22 2007 // Rhode Island officials have completed their audit of Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. and turned over the results to the workers’ compensation insurer. However it will be at least 30 days before the public learns what is...
Insurers Drop Court Challenge as Fla. Clarifies Cancellation Ban
Feb 21 2007 // Insurance companies dropped a court challenge this week to a new Florida rule preventing them from immediately canceling some homeowners policies or raising rates. The rule, which took effect Jan. 31, is a stopgap until a...
Miss. Gov. Barbour Rejects Hood’s Call to Block State Farm
Feb 20 2007 // Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said he will seek legislation aimed at blocking State Farm Insurance Cos. from refusing to write new homeowners and commercial policies in the hurricane-battered state. Hood’s...
Fla. Sees First Rate Cuts Since Cat Fund Expansion
Feb 20 2007 // Florida regulators on Friday gave tentative approval to the first rate cuts by private home insurance companies following the passage last month of a new law giving the companies more access to the state’s backup...
Ind. Bills Would Require Nursing Homes to Install Sprinkler Systems
Feb 20 2007 // Legislation that would require all of Indiana’s nursing homes to install sprinkler systems within five years is gaining traction in the General Assembly. Supporters who have pushed lawmakers to enact stricter nursing...
SCOR Acquires 32.9% of Converium; Makes Unsolicited Bid; S&P Comments
Feb 19 2007 // France’s SCOR Group announced that it has acquired 32.9 percent of the share capital of Swiss-based reinsurer Converium Holding AG. SCOR said it “strongly believes that the combination of Converium and SCOR is...
Judge in Texas Approves Settlement in Allstate Discrimination Case
Feb 18 2007 // A federal judge in Texas has given final approval to a class-action settlement in a case accusing Allstate Corp. of discriminating against minority policyholders by using credit reports to set rates. U.S. District Judge...
Calif. Judge Rules Against Auto Insurers in Lawsuit over ZIP Codes
Feb 18 2007 // Siding with consumer groups and state regulators, a state judge on Feb. 15 threw out a lawsuit that challenged rules requiring auto insurers to base their rates primarily on drivers’ records instead of where they...
‘Fire-Safe’ Cigarette Bill Advances in Kentucky
Feb 16 2007 // Kentucky’s status as the nation’s leading adult smoking state makes it more susceptible to fatal fires sparked by cigarettes, a safety advocate said this week. The solution is to join several other states by...
Mont. Blocks Military Financial Servcies Protection Act
Feb 16 2007 // A Montana state bill (H.B. 542) modeled after the federal “Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act” (S. 418) was tabled in the Montana House Business and Labor Committee, chaired by Rep. Scott...
Study: Allowing Generic Biotech Drugs Could Save $70 Billion
Feb 16 2007 // Patients and health insurance providers could save at least $71 billion over 10 years if there were a regulatory mechanism that allowed for the marketing of generic biotech medicines, according to a new study. Currently...
Former N.Y. Supt. Mills: State Regulation Has Holes to be Filled
Feb 15 2007 // Looking back on his two-year tenure, former New York Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills says state regulation could stand some improvement. According to the former Empire State insurance chief, the state regulatory...
Maryland Mulls Ways to Keep Insurers from Abandoning Coastal Properties
Feb 15 2007 // Alarmed that homeowners on Maryland’s coasts may one day be cut off from home insurance, state lawmakers are mulling new rules prohibiting insurers from pulling out of areas they deem risky. But insurers met with...
