Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Declarations

Mar 9 2020 // Not High Time “This bill is not about getting high. This bill is about getting well.” — Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Colorado doctor who described the success of using medical marijuana on people with seizures...

Why Banning Rating Factors Could Hurt Auto Even More

Mar 9 2020 // Auto insurance affordability is an important issue for consumers and the industry. Insurers take a wide variety of actions to make auto insurance as affordable as possible for consumers because they recognize that its cost...

California FAIR Plan Can Offer Only Fire Insurance, Judge Says

Mar 9 2020 // A fund that offers only fire insurance to California residents in wildfire-prone areas can’t be required to provide coverage for other hazards such as flooding or theft, a judge ruled in late February. Superior Court...

Arizona Court Rules Workers’ Comp OK for Cops’ High-Stress Situations

Mar 9 2020 // An Arizona court ruling stemming from a sheriff’s deputy’s encounter with a shotgun-wielding man says law enforcement officers can claim workers’ compensation benefits if diagnosed with PTSD or other...

Trump Signs $8.3B Bill to Fight Coronavirus

Mar 6 2020 // President Donald Trump signed a $7.8 billion emergency coronavirus spending bill on Friday after the number of infections continued to rise and stocks tumbled. The amount of money provided in the legislation far exceeds...

South Dakota Legislation Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving Sent to Governor

Mar 5 2020 // A bill passed by the South Dakota Legislature bans the use of smartphones and other electronic communication devices while driving, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) reported. The APCIA supports...

New York Bill Requiring Backseat Buckle Up Passes Legislature

Mar 5 2020 // New York senators moved to strengthen the state’s seat belt laws Tuesday and approved a bill that requires backseat adult passengers to buckle up. The legislation, passed by the state Senate and Assembly, now moves...

FDA Bans Electrical Shock Medical Device in Rare Regulatory Action

Mar 5 2020 // The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday banned electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) used in curbing self-injurious or aggressive behavior, citing substantial risks of illness or injury to patients. The...

Delaware Judge Holds Hearing in Lawsuit Over Hidden Bathroom Camera

Mar 4 2020 // A Delaware judge is holding a hearing in a lawsuit over the secret filming of women and girls in a restaurant bathroom. Tuesday’s hearing involves a lawsuit filed in 2018 by the mother of two young girls. The...

Popular Climate Change Mitigation, Clean Energy Financing Plan Has Its Fans and Foes

Mar 4 2020 // A decade ago, if a Floridian wanted extra cash to replace a roof, install solar panels or a brand new air conditioner, the most common choice was a bank loan. But for the last few years, homeowners also have had a...

Nebraska to Feds: Make Flood Control on Missouri River a Priority

Mar 3 2020 // Nebraska lawmakers have sent a nearly unanimous message to federal officials who control the flow of the Missouri River: focus on preventing floods above all else. Lawmakers voted 43-1 on a resolution calling on Congress...

Mom Asks South Carolina Lawmakers To Require Balcony Inspections After Son’s Death

Mar 2 2020 // Jennifer Mykytyn has been fighting to honor her son for five years and finally got a hearing to ask South Carolina lawmakers to require inspections for balconies so no one else would die the way her son was...

Supreme Court Ruling on Fate of Obamacare Likely After November Election

Mar 2 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a politically explosive case on whether Obamacare is lawful, taking up a bid by 20 Democratic-led states including New York and California to save the landmark healthcare...

Hazard Mitigation Legislation Moves Forward in Oklahoma House

Mar 2 2020 // Legislation that would create the Oklahoma Hazard Mitigation Assessment District Act has passed out of committee and moved to the full House for consideration. The House County and Municipal Government Committee passed...

Missouri Senate Backs New Limits on Punitive Damages

Feb 28 2020 // Missouri’s Republican-led Senate swiftly advanced a bill tightening standards for punitive damages in liability lawsuits after an all-night filibuster by Democrats successfully blocked a separate bill limiting...

Arizona Court Rules Workers’ Comp OK for Cops’ High-Stress Situations

Feb 28 2020 // An Arizona court ruling stemming from a sheriff’s deputy’s encounter with a shotgun-wielding man says law enforcement officers can claim workers’ compensation benefits if diagnosed with PTSD or other...

Congress Urged to Uphold, Not Override, State Privacy Laws

Feb 27 2020 // California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Tuesday sent a letter to four top U.S. lawmakers urging them not to pre-empt the state’s new privacy law with a watered down federal legislation. The California Consumer...

Nicolopoulos Confirmed as New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner

Feb 27 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...

Ohio Bill Would Lift Pain-and-Suffering Caps in Rape Cases

Feb 26 2020 // Proposed legislation in the Ohio House would lift caps on pain-and-suffering awards in lawsuits brought by rape victims. The bill introduced this month by two Democratic lawmakers stems from a 2016 Ohio Supreme Court...

Florida Carriers Seek Staggering Rate Increases Amid Market Turmoil

Feb 25 2020 // It’s no surprise that Florida carriers are raising homeowners’ insurance rates given several years of catastrophes and losses from litigation related to assignment of benefits and water damage claims. What may...