Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
How East Insurance Regulators Are Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Mar 25 2020 // As insurers continue to monitor the spread and impact of COVID-19, insurance regulators across the East region of the U.S. are issuing guidance on how the industry can respond. “There is almost no aspect of the...
What State Insurance Regulators Have Asked of P/C Insurers to Address Coronavirus
Mar 25 2020 // As state insurance regulators monitor and respond to the coronavirus impact on insurance, property/casualty insurers are calling on them to coordinate their requests for data and ease up on some requirements. David A....
Ban on Holding Cellphone While Driving Begins July 1 in Indiana
Mar 23 2020 // Drivers will be banned from using handheld cellphones on Indiana roads starting in July under legislation Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law to combat distracted driving. Holcomb signed the measure on March 18, making...
Wisconsin High Court Rules Against Farm Over Pay for Time Workers Spend Dressing
Mar 23 2020 // Workers can’t negotiate away their right to compensation for time spent donning and removing protective gear, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in a long-running legal battle between a Jefferson County farm and its...
Nicolopoulos Confirmed as New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner
Mar 23 2020 // The New Hampshire Insurance Department has announced that Chris Nicolopoulos was confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council as insurance commissioner succeeding John Elias, who resigned in December less than two...
Lighthouse to Acquire Prepared Insurance of Florida
Mar 23 2020 // Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. plans to acquire its sister carrier, Prepared Insurance Company (Prepared), from Prepared Holdings Group. Lighthouse is a Louisiana-domiciled property and casualty insurance carrier...
Pressure Builds on Insurers to Be Part of Coronavirus Business Solution
Mar 20 2020 // While legislators in Washington and states try to fashion financial relief for businesses interrupted by the public health actions related to coronavirus, outside pressure is mounting on private property/casualty...
Insurers Reject House Members’ Request to Cover Uninsured COVID Business Losses
Mar 20 2020 // A bipartisan group of U.S. House members has asked insurers to retroactively recognize financial losses relating to COVID-19 under commercial business interruption coverage for policyholders. Eighteen House members made...
Southeast Insurance Regulators Issue Industry Guidance for Coronavirus Outbreak
Mar 20 2020 // Insurance departments across the Southeast are notifying industry representatives of updated procedures and expectations in response to the coronavirus outbreak, while also acknowledging the potential for a serious impact...
Judge Warns of Jury Harassment, Intimidation in N.C. Insurance Bribery Case
Mar 20 2020 // A federal judge on Wednesday ordered two men convicted of trying to bribe a North Carolina insurance regulator not to contact jurors from their recently completed trial after learning a consultant attempted to do so on...
Analyst Says Specialty P/C Insurers More Likely to See Business Interruption Losses
Mar 19 2020 // The original property/casualty insurance industry reaction that business interruption losses may be modest may have been too optimistic, according to a leading insurance analyst. KBW’s Meyer Shields believes that the...
Proposed N.J. Bill Would Require Insurers to Pay COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims
Mar 19 2020 // A proposed New Jersey bill, which aims to create business interruption insurance coverage for COVID-19 related claims despite virus exclusions in many policies, has drawn concern about the constitutionality of legislation...
Some Telemedicine Regulations Waived in Texas in Effort to Expand Access
Mar 18 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance has issued an emergency rule aimed at helping doctors across the state to continue treating patients during the crisis created by COVID-19, the disease stemming from the new...
Southern States Challenged by Increasing Acceptance of Medical Marijuana
Mar 17 2020 // Facing a potentially historic vote on whether to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, Republican lawmaker John Schickel is conflicted. A retired law enforcement officer, Schickel once steadfastly opposed medical...
PG&E Approved by Judge for $23B Bankruptcy Financing Package
Mar 16 2020 // Power producer PG&E Corp. said on Monday that it won bankruptcy court approval to use up to $23 billion in financing after California Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped his opposition to those financing commitments. The U.S....
Alabama Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Bill
Mar 16 2020 // A medical marijuana bill cleared its first floor vote Thursday in the Alabama Legislature as advocates hope to make headway after years of setbacks. The Alabama Senate vote 22-10 for the bill by Republican Sen. Tim Melson...
Prepared Insurance of Florida to be Acquired by Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp.
Mar 16 2020 // Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. plans to acquire its sister carrier, Prepared Insurance Company (Prepared), from Prepared Holdings Group. Lighthouse is a Louisiana-domiciled property and casualty insurance carrier...
P/C Insurers Expect Smaller M&As to Continue in 2020
Mar 13 2020 // Despite a sharp decline in M&A activity in 2019 and continuing economic uncertainty, more than half of the property/casualty insurance executives surveyed by Deloitte still expect to complete an M&A transaction in...
Coronavirus Drives Patients to Online Doctors, Spurring Telemedicine Sector
Mar 13 2020 // The new coronavirus that’s forcing lockdowns and roiling economies is spurring a silent revolution in the field of telemedicine. As COVID-19 spreads across Europe, leaving new patients in its wake, the fear of...
Judge OKs $34M Settlement with Minnesota’s New Ulm Diocese in Sex Abuse Case
Mar 12 2020 // A bankruptcy judge has approved a $34 million settlement between the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota and nearly 100 people who say they were sexually abused by priests and others. Bishop John LeVoir apologized to sexual...
