Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Declarations
May 18 2020 // Michigan Auto Rates “Michigan drivers have been paying some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the country and this independent report shows the bipartisan legislation is beginning to work.” —...
Legal Actions That Insurance Pros in the Cannabis Biz Should Pay Attention to
May 18 2020 // Ian Stewart Lawsuits and legal concerns in the cannabis business are too numerous to count – just like with many other industries – but there are few that insurance professionals in the business should keep an...
What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI
May 18 2020 // If only 10% of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an...
California Workers’ Comp Bureau Chief Addresses COVID’s Impact on System
May 15 2020 // Bill Mudge has been put in a unique position during the pandemic. He’s got a sizeable workforce he’s had to reconfigure and manage much differently, and he heads the bureau that regulators, employers and...
Workers Protesting the Virus May Be Just the Start: Opinion
May 15 2020 // In recent weeks, employees at sites as diverse as Amazon warehouses, meat-processing plants and emergency rooms have raised the alarm over unsafe conditions posed by the new coronavirus. Workplace infections have been...
Kansas GOP Lawmakers Want to Limit Coronavirus Lawsuits
May 14 2020 // Republican legislators in Kansas are joining a broader effort to shield doctors, hospitals and businesses from lawsuits stemming from the coronavirus, with business and medical groups pushing them to act quickly. The...
Legislation to Limit Car Accident Claims Advances in Louisiana
May 14 2020 // Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers have advanced proposals to limit damage claims against businesses in car wreck lawsuits, pushing ahead with the pre-coronavirus priority as Democrats argued the debate was...
Trump Safety Regulator Blocks Washington State’s Crude Oil Train Rules
May 13 2020 // The U.S. pipeline regulator late on Monday blocked an effort by Washington state to tighten vapor pressure restrictions on the transport of crude oil by rail, saying the measures would not lower the risk of explosions. The...
Debate Over Business Liability in Pandemic Turns to OSHA Regulation, CDC Guidelines
May 13 2020 // Congressional Republicans have made liability protection for employers a nonnegotiable demand in any new coronavirus stimulus, but Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump, says that regulators have a role...
Insurers Zurich and Chubb Raise Cover for Canada Oil Sands Pipeline: Filings
May 13 2020 // Major insurers Zurich and Chubb increased their insurance cover for a Canadian oil sands pipeline over the last year, Canadian regulatory filings show. The Trans Mountain pipeline, which ships types of crude oil and...
Workers’ Comp May Need Backstop as Presumptions Push Claim Costs into Billions
May 12 2020 // An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19...
U.S. Businesses, Patients Sue China Seeking Damages From Coronavirus Outbreak
May 11 2020 // Before the coronavirus outbreak, Saundra Andringa-Meuer was a healthy 61-year-old mother of six who never smoked or drank alcohol. Then she became seriously ill with the disease after traveling from her Wisconsin home to...
Trump Administration Revises Sexual Assault Response Rules for Schools
May 8 2020 // Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday issued a new policy that will reshape the way schools and universities respond to complaints of sexual misconduct, bolstering the rights of the accused and narrowing the scope...
Billions Will Experience ‘Sahara’ Like Heat in Next 50 Years, Report States
May 8 2020 // Roughly a third of the global population could experience an average annual temperature of 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit (29C) in the next 50 years, with temperatures currently found in small part of the planet, mostly...
Viewpoint: Insurance Denials, Proposed Legislation Raise Concerns
May 6 2020 // The arrival and spread of COVID-19 has had significant and far-reaching social and economic impacts upon individuals and businesses throughout the United States. In an effort to curtail the spread of the virus, local and...
Texas Regulatory Commission Says it Won’t Cut Oil Production
May 6 2020 // After overseeing the state’s energy sector through one of Texas’ largest oil booms in recent years, the Texas Railroad Commission has suddenly found itself in the middle of two global crises that have delivered...
What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI
May 6 2020 // If only 10 percent of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an...
Some Michigan Drivers Could See Big Drop in Insurance Rates with New Law
May 5 2020 // Michigan’s new auto insurance no-fault law, passed in May 2019, does not take effect until July 2, but the state’s governor and insurance regulators say recently approved insurer rate filings already show that...
German Judge Casts Doubt on VW’s Defense in Landmark Diesel-Damages Case
May 5 2020 // A German federal court judge cast doubt on Volkswagen’s reasoning after the carmaker urged the court to dismiss a claim for damages brought by an owner of a diesel powered VW Sharan family van. Tuesday’s...
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Micro-Captive Insurer Tax Case
May 5 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a ruling that critics say would give the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service a sweeping shield from challenges to their regulations. The justices said Monday they will...
