Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon High Court Rules .09% Not Enough to Convict for Drunken Driving
Nov 27 2019 // The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that a driver whose blood alcohol content registered .09% nearly two hours after he was stopped should not have been convicted of drunken driving. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the...
Dive Boat on Which 34 Died in Southern California Exempt From Safety Rules
Nov 27 2019 // The diving boat that caught fire on Labor Day off Southern California, killing 34 people, was among hundreds of small vessels exempted by the U.S. Coast Guard from stricter safety rules designed to make it easier for...
Senate Democrats’ Bill Would Establish Consumer Rights Over Internet Data, Privacy
Nov 27 2019 // Democratic senators proposed legislation on Tuesday that would set penalties for online companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. if they mishandle users’ personal data. The measure comes at a...
Uber’s London License Ban Marks Global Regulatory Backlash for Ride-Hailing Firms
Nov 27 2019 // Uber Technologies Inc. and its rivals disrupted global transport, riding on a lack of regulation to drive exponential growth. Now, regulators are closing in. London’s transport authority banned Uber for a second time...
Lawmakers Question Airbnb Over Rental Listings in Violation of Local Laws
Nov 27 2019 // U.S. lawmakers are asking Airbnb Inc. to provide information about hosts that list short-term rentals on the site who don’t comply with local laws and violate the company’s own policies. In a letter to Airbnb...
Judge Nearly Doubles North Dakota Doctor’s $1.2M Award in Retaliation Suit
Nov 25 2019 // A North Dakota doctor who won a $1.2 million jury award against a Bismarck clinic in a retaliation case should collect more than $2.1 million after a federal judge settled post-trial disputes. Dr. Robert Roswick sued Mid...
Fox Countersuit in Harassment Case Not Retaliation, Judge Rules
Nov 25 2019 // Fox Broadcasting Co. didn’t illegally retaliate with a breach-of-contract claim against a former executive who sued after he was fired for alleged sexual harassment, a judge ruled. New York Supreme Court Justice...
Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Ban on Flavored Vaping, Tobacco Products
Nov 25 2019 // Massachusetts lawmakers passed a groundbreaking ban Thursday on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill would also place a 75% excise tax on vaping products and require...
Trump Regulatory Rollback Targets Safety Rules Prompted by Industrial Disasters
Nov 25 2019 // The Trump administration’s move to relax an Obama-era chemical safety regulation put in place after an explosion at a fertilizer plant is the latest example of the White House easing rules established in the wake of...
Oklahoma AG to Appeal Judge’s Opioid Ruling in J&J Case
Nov 25 2019 // Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says he plans to appeal a judge’s order directing consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million to help address the state’s opioid...
EPA Eases Safety Requirements Enacted after Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion
Nov 22 2019 // Days before President Barack Obama left office in 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule aimed at preventing tragedies like the 2013 explosion and fire in the tiny Central Texas town of West that...
Australia Court Rules Against Johnson & Johnson in Pelvic Mesh Class Action
Nov 21 2019 // More than 1,350 Australian women won a seven-year-old class action lawsuit on Thursday against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for misleading patients and surgeons about the risks of the pharmaceutical giant’s pelvic...
Texas Windstorm Insurer’s Actuarial Committee Recommends 5% Rate Hike
Nov 20 2019 // When the board of directors of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast meets in December, its members will be considering a 5% rate increase recommended by the...
Senate Banking Committee Advances Terrorism Reinsurance Renewal
Nov 20 2019 // Legislation to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program advanced another step today when it was passed by the Senate Banking Committee. The Senate legislation (S.2877) is identical to the bill (H.R. 4634) that...
Judge to Decide J&J Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit in Australia
Nov 20 2019 // An Australian judge will rule this week whether Johnson & Johnson hid the risks of its vaginal-mesh products and damaged the organs of women, in the latest ruling in worldwide litigation against the U.S. company over...
Citizens CEO Notes Impact of AOB Reforms as New Rates to Take Effect in Florida
Nov 20 2019 // The head of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. says it is already seeing a difference in assignment of benefits (AOB) litigation since reforms passed by the Florida Legislature took effect in July. Meanwhile, many Citizens...
Federal Reserve Approves BB&T and SunTrust Banks Merger
Nov 19 2019 // The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved the application by BB&T Corp. of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to merge with SunTrust Banks, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. The merged entity will be called Truist Financial...
Experts Say Oklahoma’s Insurance Business Transfer Law Will Boost Economy
Nov 19 2019 // An international forum of insurance experts meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said the Insurance Business Transfer law expected to bring an economic boost to the state. The IBT law creates a way for insurers to transfer entire...
House Passes Terrorism Reinsurance Renewal; Senate to Take Up Measure
Nov 19 2019 // The House of Representatives on Monday passed a bill reauthorizing the federal terrorism reinsurance program by a vote of 385-22. The vote came on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R....
Florida’s New Consumer Advocate Tackles Open Hurricane Michael Claims
Nov 19 2019 // Florida’s new Insurance Consumer Advocate Tasha Carter has been busy since taking office August 1. With more than 12,000 Hurricane Michael claims still open, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation,...
