Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Republicans Rally Around Call for Legal Immunity for Businesses When They Reopen
May 4 2020 // The top Republicans in the U.S. Congress displayed a united front on Friday in their drive for coronavirus-related liability protections for businesses, saying such measures will be crucial to talks about future relief...
Consumer Groups Oppose Immunity for Businesses From Coronavirus Lawsuits
Apr 30 2020 // U.S. consumer advocates are urging Congress to resist growing demands by companies for protections from coronavirus-related lawsuits as states start to ease pandemic restrictions and businesses begin to reopen. Led by...
Insurers Promote Federal Pandemic Insurance Plan to Congress
Apr 29 2020 // The U.S. insurance industry is promoting the idea of an insurance plan backed by the federal government that would help businesses that in the future suffer losses from a pandemic, people familiar with the effort told...
Key Lawmaker Eyes Ban on Mergers to Protect Small Firms During Coronavirus Crisis
Apr 23 2020 // The chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel on Thursday called for a moratorium on mergers in the next coronavirus stimulus package and a ban on deals that are not directly related to companies about...
Travelers, W.R. Berkley CEOs Sound Alarm Over Coronavirus Lawsuits, Workers’ Comp
Apr 23 2020 // During an earnings conference call Tuesday, the leader of Travelers insurance alerted listeners to the possibility that frivolous lawsuits by plaintiffs lawyers could slow down the economic recovery from COVID-19...
How COVID-19 Impacts the Surplus Lines Insurance Industry
Apr 22 2020 // COVID-19 has majorly disrupted the global economy, and while many business sectors are subjected to temporary shutdowns or bare minimum operations, the insurance industry is racing forward while confronting unprecedented...
Businesses Press Congress for Immunity When States Lift Coronavirus Lockdowns
Apr 21 2020 // Major U.S. business lobbying groups are asking Congress to pass measures that would protect companies large and small from coronavirus-related lawsuits when states start to lift pandemic restrictions and businesses begin...
States Easing Path to Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Coronavirus Workers
Apr 21 2020 // Sympathetic state lawmakers and regulators in states both red and blue promise to make COVID-19 a major cost driver for workers’ compensation insurers. The governors of Kentucky, Arkansas, North Dakota and Florida...
White House Moves to Weaken EPA Rule on Toxic PFA Compounds in Consumer Products
Apr 20 2020 // The Trump White House has intervened to weaken one of the few public health protections pursued by its own administration, a rule to limit the use of a toxic industrial compound in consumer products, according to...
South Carolina Insurance Dept. Makes Staff Changes, Names New Deputy Directors
Apr 20 2020 // The South Carolina Department of Insurance will be implementing a variety of organizational changes that will become effective May 1, 2020. These changes include: Joe Cregan has been named chief deputy of Insurance...
How To Make Your Life Easier, and Richer
Apr 20 2020 // Agency owners can make their lives easier and richer if they follow one simple rule: Run their agency as a business. This means doing what businesses do, including working on the business rather than just in it. This is...
California Supreme Court Ruling Will Enable Montrose to Tap Excess Policies
Apr 20 2020 // A decision earlier this month by the California Supreme Court gave policyholders with long-tail environmental claims a potentially big win, finding that polices within each policy period can be vertically stacked. The...
