Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Torts Drive Commercial Auto in Heartland, Elsewhere
Nov 20 2005 // Insurers like writing commercial auto business, and most lines of business, in the Midwestern states because of market stability and a favorable legislative and regulatory climate. But even in this typically stable line of...
Actions and Proceedings
Nov 20 2005 // Eaton v. Continental Casualty Co. (California Court of Appeals, 2nd District, Sept. 15, 2005) Ruling: The court held that the insured’s suit against an excess insurer was not barred by the four-year statute of...
California Commissioner Drops Broker Regulations
Nov 20 2005 // California Insurance Commis-sioner John Garamendi has announced that he will halt efforts to adopt new regulations imposing fiduciary duties and mandatory disclosure regulations on insurance agents and brokers. “We...
News Briefs
Nov 20 2005 // California Governor’s Measures Defeated in Special Election California’s special election battle, the costliest campaign in the state’s history, roared to a close in November, much to the chagrin of Gov....
Senate Passes Terrorism Insurance Extension
Nov 18 2005 // Moving just days after committees in the House and Senate advanced terrorism insurance bills, the full U.S. Senate today passed its version of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (S. 467). By a voice vote,...
La. Senate Passes Building Code Bill; PCI Urges House to do the Same
Nov 18 2005 // The Louisiana Senate took the first steps in ensuring the rebuilding of a stronger Louisiana by passing legislation that will create a mandatory and uniform statewide building code. During the second week of a special...
Florida CFO Announces Support for Catastrophic Fund
Nov 18 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has advocated several federal and state solutions for avoiding an insurance market meltdown, including the creation of a National Catastrophe Fund. Today, Florida...
Judge Declines to Declare Mistrial in R.I. Lead Paint Case
Nov 17 2005 // A Rhode Island judge in a Providence courtroom called a prosecutor’s question to a witness prejudicial and irrelevant, but refused on this week to declare a mistrial in the state’s lawsuit against the companies...
Ill. Supreme Court Ruling Spotlights Venue Reform
Nov 17 2005 // The Illinois Supreme Court today ruled that a lawsuit brought in Illinois by a Louisiana plaintiff did not belong in an Illinois state court. In Gridley v. State Farm , the high court remanded the issue to the circuit...
Commissioner Wooley Supports Uniform Building Codes in La.
Nov 16 2005 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance released the following statement by Commissioner of Insurance Robert Wooley to the Louisiana Legislature expressing his support for the establishment of statewide uniform building code...
As House Prepares Terrorism Insurance Bill Today, Coalition Offers Support and Senate Readies Its Own
Nov 16 2005 // Business insurance consumers represented by the multi-industry Coalition to Insure Against Terrorism have expressed their support for federal terrorism insurance legislation that will be marked up by the House Committee on...
Gov. Romney, AG Reilly and Industry Differ Over Mass. Auto Reform Plan
Nov 16 2005 // Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance this week, with Reilly saying the governor’s reform plan would create chaos for drivers and Romney accusing Reilly of failing...
Mass. Lawmakers to Hear Romney Auto Insurance Reform Package Today
Nov 15 2005 // After weeks of television ads by warring factions of insurance companies and public forums on the road by some legislators, the Massachusetts Financial Services Committee today will hold the first public hearing at the...
PCI Applauds W. Va. Gov.’s Focus on Workers’ Comp Reform
Nov 14 2005 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has applauded West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin for calling a special session of the State Legislature in order to finalize any remaining details of the...
Insurance Regulators Hosting National Catastrophe Insurance Program Summit
Nov 14 2005 // State insurance regulators, industry representatives, catastrophe experts and consumer representatives are convening in San Francisco on Tuesday for a two-day summit in to help devise a national catastrophe insurance...
ACE USA Study Unveils Top Issues Facing Risk Managers
Nov 10 2005 // A survey of challenges facing chief risk officers and senior risk managers, sponsored by the ACE Group of Companies, reportedly demonstrates that senior risk managers are becoming increasingly worried about identify theft...
N.Y. Readies ‘Common Sense’ Broker Commission Disclosure Rules
Nov 10 2005 // New York officials are not planning to ban contingent commissions for agents and brokers but will issue regulations requiring them to disclose their compensation to clients. Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills...
Citizens Property Board to Consider Rate Hikes When it Meets Next Week
Nov 9 2005 // Back-to-back insurance rate increases averaging 20 percent for non-hurricane premiums and 32 percent for wind-only premiums could be requested by Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s board of directors after it meets...
Study Blames Bad Regulatory System, Not Bad Drivers, for Mass. Auto Woes
Nov 9 2005 // A new study suggests that the high cost of auto insurance in Massachusetts should be blamed on bad government, not bad drivers. The state’s rate setting system encourages drivers to file too many minor accident...
Credit-based Insurance Scoring Remains a Key Legislative, Regulatory Issue
Nov 7 2005 // Credit-based insurance scoring has been a contentious legislative and regulatory issue in the world of insurance for at least the last three or four years, but the nature of the debate has changed, Robert Detlefsen,...
