Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Catholic Church in Pa. Fights Change to Allow New Sex Abuse Suits
Dec 6 2005 // Roman Catholic Church officials in Pennsylvania say a proposal that would allow sexual-abuse victims from decades ago to file lawsuits could lead to financial ruin for dioceses across the state. Some Harrisburg lawmakers...
NAMIC: Study on Cost Impact of N.J. Court Ruling Shows Legislation Need
Dec 6 2005 // A new actuarial study concluding that a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling will substantially increase costs for drivers that choose no fault coverage shows there is a significant need for legislation to correct the decision,...
Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Med-Mal Award Cap Legislation
Dec 5 2005 // Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation that would have capped the amount of money medical malpractice victims could win in court for their pain and suffering, an issue that has been a political flash point in states across the...
Judge Allows N.Y. City’s Suit Against Gun Industry to Proceed
Dec 5 2005 // Federal District Court Judge Jack Weinstein on Dec. 2 ruled that New York City’s landmark lawsuit against the gun industry can proceed, despite a federal law that limits the legal liability of gun manufacturers and...
Minn. High Court Rules Drunken Passenger Doesn’t Justify Search
Dec 5 2005 // The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a police officer wasn’t justified in searching the vehicle of a Winona woman because the passenger in her car was drunk. “To allow a vehicle search solely because an...
Disability Insurers Challenge “Underground Regulations” in Court
Dec 5 2005 // Insurance companies filed a lawsuit against California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, challenging what they called “underground regulations” that would boost the cost of disability...
Conn. Proud of Its ‘Common Sense’ Compensation Disclosure Law
Dec 5 2005 // States in search of a “common sense” approach to insurance producer compensation disclosure might consider talking to Connecticut officials, that state’s commissioner recently proposed. “I’m...
AUTO REFORM DIFFERENCES:
Dec 5 2005 // Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance, with Reilly saying the governor’s reform plan would create chaos and Romney accusing Reilly of failing as a leader because he had no plan...
Industry Group Sees Sarbanes-Oxley as an Example of Hyper-Vigilance
Dec 5 2005 // The extension of Sarbanes-Oxley to non-public insurance companies is a good example of the era of regulatory hyper-vigilance in which it is difficult to know when an issue is of legitimate public policy concern or when it...
Eight Key Litigation Trends
Dec 5 2005 // Following are key findings in the 2005 Fulbright and Jaworski 2005 Litigation Trends Survey. 1) Litigation Dockets –Eighty-seven percent of American companies are engaged in some form of litigation in the United...
Case Law Watch
Dec 5 2005 // Montana House Bill 631 (Signed into law on April 8, 2005) Regulation: This law relates to the revision of surplus lines insurance law and provides that a policy may not be placed with an unauthorized insurer unless the...
Whitfield: Legislation Might Be Needed To Resolve Jockey Issues
Dec 5 2005 // Racetrack executives appeared before a House panel recently, arguing that congressional action is not necessary to solve industry problems, including a recent lapse in health insurance for jockeys that left the...
Statewide Code to Guide Rebuilding in Louisiana
Dec 5 2005 // The Louisiana Legislature passed a measure creating a mandatory, uniform statewide building code that proponents believe will not only help build a more structurally stable Loui-siana but will help keep insurance rates...
LAWMAKERS ASK COLO. TO CRACK DOWN ON AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES
Dec 5 2005 // Democratic lawmakers have asked the Colorado Division of Insurance to crack down on auto insurance companies and fine them $250 a day if they fail to submit timely information to a database that tracks uninsured...
Executive Life Judge Confirms Some $900M in Total Verdicts, Settlements
Dec 5 2005 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has praised a Los Angeles Federal judge’s ruling that the Artemis Co., reportedly a main conspirator in the fraudulent purchase of the Executive Life Insurance Co....
Regulation of Surplus Lines
Dec 4 2005 // Montana House Bill 631 (Signed into law on April 8, 2005) Regulation: This law relates to the revision of surplus lines insurance law and provides that a policy may not be placed with an unauthorized insurer unless the...
Industry Group Sees Sarbanes-Oxley as an Example of Hyper-Vigilance
Dec 4 2005 // The extension of Sarbanes-Oxley to non-public insurance companies is a good example of the era of regulatory hyper-vigilance in which it is difficult to know when an issue is of legitimate public policy concern or when it...
News Briefs
Dec 4 2005 // ALABAMA Alabama Expects 50,000 Claims More than 50,000 claims are expected in Alabama from hurricane damage, however, complete cost estimates won’t be available until this month. Ragan Ingram, Department of Insurance...
Citizens Board Agrees to Increase Florida Rates; OIR Approval Necessary
Dec 4 2005 // Home insurance rate increases as high as 31 percent for some properties, were approved Nov. 17 by the board of governors of Citizens Property Insurance Co., Florida’s insurer of last resort, and now have to go to the...
Executive Life Judge Confirms Some $900M in Total Verdicts, Settlements
Dec 4 2005 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has praised a Los Angeles Federal judge’s ruling that the Artemis Co., reportedly a main conspirator in the fraudulent purchase of the Executive Life Insurance Co....
