Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Report: 6 Texas Refineries Releasing Cancer-Causing Pollutant Above Federal Threshold

Feb 10 2020 // An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits Eight years ago, two environmental nonprofits sued the...

House Panel to Hold Hearing to Advance Rules on Self-Driving Vehicles

Feb 10 2020 // A U.S. House panel will hold a hearing Tuesday on autonomous vehicles as lawmakers try to hammer out legislation to advance self-driving cars. An Energy and Commerce subcommittee overseeing automotive issues will hear from...

Insurance CEO Takes Fight for Nonprofit Coverage to Congress

Feb 10 2020 // Pamela Davis, president, founder and CEO for the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance (NIA), is on a mission to help nonprofits be successful at their mission by ensuring insurance is affordable and available. She started the...

20 Things to Know About Surplus Lines Insurance in 2020

Feb 10 2020 // As we embark upon a new decade, the surplus lines insurance market has never been stronger. Growth in specialty products and demand for insurance protection in an increasingly dynamic, technological climate necessitates a...

Georgia Senate Takes Hands-Off Approach to Regulating Electric Scooters

Feb 7 2020 // The Georgia Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that could lead the state to taking a hands-off approach to the regulation of electric scooters. Senate Bill 159 would define electric scooters in state law but do nothing else,...

Canadian Privacy Official Seeks Court Ruling Against Facebook

Feb 7 2020 // Canada’s privacy commissioner asked a federal court to declare that Facebook had broken federal privacy law for the private sector, according to a notice of application filed on Thursday. The application also asked...

U.S. Permits Startup Nuro to Deploy Up to 5,000 Driverless Delivery Vehicles

Feb 7 2020 // In a first-of-its-kind approval by U.S. regulators, a federal agency on Thursday gave permission for autonomous vehicle startup Nuro Inc. over the next two years to deploy up to 5,000 low-speed electric delivery vehicles...

Daughter of Duck Boat Victim Slams Missouri Tort Reform Bill

Feb 7 2020 // Speaking before a Missouri legislative panel, a woman whose father was among the 17 people who died after a tourist duck boat sank in a Missouri lake condemned a bill that would limit when companies can be sued over...

PG&E Clears Another Bankruptcy Hurdle with Debt Refinancing

Feb 6 2020 // A federal judge has approved a settlement that moves Pacific Gas & Electric closer to getting out of bankruptcy, but the troubled utility still must navigate nettlesome obstacles being put up by the state of...

South Carolina Lawmakers Consider Relief Fund for Farmers

Feb 6 2020 // The South Carolina House is considering a bill that would create a relief fund for farmers that could be used before federal aid is granted or if help from the U.S. government never comes. The House Agriculture Committee...

W. Virginia Girl’s Fall Into Restaurant Grease Pit Prompts Legislation to Toughen Fines

Feb 6 2020 // Kara Cvechko recalled her heart pounding as she scrambled headfirst down into an outdoor grease pit to save her 5-year-old daughter who had fallen through an unsecured opening at a West Virginia restaurant. Kambria...

North Dakota Official: Work Injury Claims Could Rise with Recreational Pot

Feb 6 2020 // North Dakota could see a rise in workers’ compensation claims if marijuana is legalized, the state’s workplace safety agency told lawmakers on Feb. 4. Jodi Bjornson, a lawyer for North Dakota Workforce Safety...

Britain’s Insurance Sector Urged to Compete by Selectively Diverging from EU Rules

Feb 5 2020 // A senior official from Britain’s insurance sector on Wednesday laid out the case for selective divergence from EU rules to add to London’s appeal as a competitive global financial center. Britain left the...

Google, Tinder Face Irish Regulatory Inquiries Over Location Data Handling

Feb 5 2020 // Irish regulators have launched separate inquiries into Google and dating app Tinder over how they process user data, in a new round of regulatory scrutiny aimed at tech companies. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission...

U.S. Seeks Certificaton Criteria for Civilian Drones

Feb 5 2020 // Government regulators plan to review drone designs in the same way they review other aircraft, a major step toward allowing routine drone deliveries and other flights over congested cities. The Federal Aviation...

New York Governor Signs Limo Safety Bills Inspired by Deadly Crashes

Feb 5 2020 // New York’s governor signed a package of limousine safety bills Monday that was inspired by deadly crashes in 2015 and 2018. One of the bills would require that motor vehicles converted into stretch limousines by...

Judge Rejects Argument That Insurer Acted in Bad Faith by Using Automated Bill Pay

Feb 4 2020 // For the second time in a year, a federal judge rejected a plaintiff attorney’s argument that an insurance carrier acted in bad faith by using the Mitchell Decision Point program when calculating the value of a...

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Corruption Case Against North Carolina Insurance Magnate

Feb 3 2020 // A federal judge refused to dismiss conspiracy and bribery counts against a North Carolina insurance magnate and two associates, allowing the case to move toward a February trial. Lawyers for Greg E. Lindberg, John Gray and...

Judge Quashes Peloton’s Countersuit in Music Copyright Case

Feb 3 2020 // Peloton Interactive Inc.’s attempt to fire back at music publishers who sued the exercise bike maker for copyright infringement was quashed by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on Wednesday dismissed...

Judge Orders J&J to Pay $344 Million Over Vaginal Mesh Implants Marketing

Feb 3 2020 // Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $344 million for misrepresenting the risks of vaginal-mesh implants to consumers in California, the first state to bring its claim against the company to trial after thousands of...