Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Gives Oklahoma Bars, Restaurants Temporary Curfew Reprieve
Dec 21 2020 // Oklahoma bars and restaurants have effectively won a temporary reprieve from a curfew that has been forcing them to close early since November to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. A state judge sided with a group of...
Oregon Judge Allows Suit Filed by 29 Women to Proceed Against Ex-Doctor
Dec 18 2020 // A judge has denied a request by a former suburban Portland, Ore. doctor to put a two-year hold on a civil case filed against him by 29 patients who allege he sexually abused them. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Melvin...
S. African Insurer Guardrisk Will Not Challenge Court Ruling on COVID-19 Claims
Dec 18 2020 // JOHANNESBURG – South African insurer Guardrisk will not further challenge a court process that has found it liable to pay clients’ rejected coronavirus-related claims, it said late on Thursday. Guardrisk, the...
9 Appeals Court Judges Recuse Themselves in Louisiana Church Sex Abuse Suit
Dec 17 2020 // All nine judges in Louisiana’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal have recused themselves from a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport and a late priest. Following the full court recusal, the...
Lawmakers: Insurance Disputes, Slow Response Hinder Louisiana Storm Recovery
Dec 17 2020 // Southwest Louisiana lawmakers on Dec. 16 criticized the insurance industry’s handling of claims from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, describing slow responses, low-balled damage estimates and drones used to assess...
Judge OKs Plan for Settling Hurricane Damage Lawsuits Against Insurers in Louisiana
Dec 15 2020 // A federal judge in western Louisiana has approved a plan on how to settle thousands of lawsuits expected to be filed against insurance companies over damage from a pair of hurricanes that hit the region six weeks...
Nevada Judge Says Gig Workers Must Get Pandemic Benefits
Dec 8 2020 // A state court judge held the Nevada unemployment office in contempt and gave it until the end of the month to comply with his July court order to resume paying pandemic relief benefits to almost 9,500 out-of-work gig...
Lawmaker Calls FCC’s Spectrum Auction Danger to Aviation Band
Dec 8 2020 // A senior U.S. House lawmaker on Monday urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to delay the auction of portions of a key spectrum band, warning it could impact a nearby aviation frequency band. House Committee on...
Tennessee Lawmakers Explore Limiting Executive Authority During Health Crises
Dec 4 2020 // Tennessee lawmakers who have often been critical of government restrictions to curb COVID-19’s spread are suggesting ways to give themselves the power to limit or overturn emergency orders from the governor during...
Insuring Cannabis Summit: Insurance Expert Unpacks Green Wave Election
Dec 4 2020 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles based on panels and presentations during Insurance Journal’s 2020 Insuring Cannabis Summit on Nov. 19. One election takeaway...
Judge Won’t Block Ban on Michigan Indoor Dining
Dec 3 2020 // Bars and restaurants on Dec. 2 lost a challenge to Michigan’s ban on indoor dining and immediately warned about business failures and deep job losses if the restriction linked to the coronavirus is extended past next...
Automakers Unveil Steps for U.S. to Speed Up Self-Driving Vehicle Deployment
Dec 3 2020 // A group representing major automakers is unveiling a detailed proposal Wednesday aimed at making it easier to deploy thousands of self-driving vehicles in the coming years, according to a document seen by Reuters. The...
China Renews OK of Oceanwide’s Stalled $2.7 Billion Purchase of Genworth
Dec 2 2020 // U.S.-based Genworth Financial Inc. reported that Chinese officials have renewed their approval of China Oceanwide Holdings Group’s acquisition of Genworth’s Delaware-domiciled insurer, allowing the deal to...
Pennsylvania Governor Strikes Down Bill That Would Have Limited COVID-19 Lawsuits
Dec 2 2020 // Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that would have expanded liability protection against COVID-19-related lawsuits for various businesses and entities in the state as they continue to grapple with coronavirus...
Louisiana Deputy Sues Ex-Judge Over Racial Slurs in Text Messages
Dec 1 2020 // A Black Louisiana sheriff’s deputy has sued a white former judge, saying a racial slur in her private text messages defamed him and has hurt his ability to do his job since being made public. Assumption Parish Deputy...
Judge Rejects Bayer’s $648 Million PCB Contamination Proposal
Dec 1 2020 // A federal judge has rejected Bayer AG’s proposed $648 million settlement of class-action litigation by cities and other claimants over contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, made by the former...
Nevada Supreme Court Rules Undocumented Injured Worker Can Get Benefits
Nov 25 2020 // The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that an undocumented worker is entitled to permanent disability. The court ruled on Nov. 23 that an undocumented worker suffering trauma due to a workplace accident is entitled to...
Louisiana School Superintendents Seeking Looser Quarantine Rules
Nov 25 2020 // Leaders of several Louisiana public school systems have called on state officials to relax coronavirus quarantine rules that have sent thousands of students home from school because they have been in close proximity to...
Next Virus Shutdown May Cost Washington Restaurants $800M
Nov 25 2020 // A four-week shutdown on indoor service at restaurants and bars prompted by an alarming statewide spike in COVID-19 cases is expected to cost the industry some $800 million, a representative said Monday. Anthony Anton,...
Louisiana Virus Aid Funds Run Low with Small Business, Local Requests Unmet
Nov 24 2020 // Louisiana will run out of federal coronavirus money before it pays out grants to all eligible small businesses and local government agencies seeking dollars from COVID-19 aid programs created by Gov. John Bel Edwards and...
