Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Top Insurance Journal East Stories of 2017
Dec 29 2017 // As 2017 wraps up, Insurance Journal is looking back on some of its most popular stories of the year while preparing for what is ahead for the insurance industry in 2018. These are just a few of many topics Insurance...
Assignment of Benefits Abuse Tops Florida News for 2017
Dec 29 2017 // Florida’s ongoing battle with assignment of benefits (AOB) claims abuse was not a new topic in 2017, but it was certainly one of the hottest ones for Southeast readers. From threats of insurer ratings downgrades...
Top Insurance Journal South Central Stories of 2017
Dec 29 2017 // Among the most read news stories in Insurance Journal’s South Central region during 2017 concerned Hurricane Harvey and Texas hailstorm (aka natural catastrophe insurance claims) legislation. The insurance industry...
Why Patent ‘Shenanigans’ Share Blame for High Cost of Drugs
Dec 29 2017 // Bob Kelsey can’t afford a cancer drug that could save his life. The retired firefighter, 53, needs Revlimid to stay healthy. Celgene Corp. has raised the price 88 percent over the past seven years. The drug...
Nebraska Legislature Likely to Revisit Occupational Licensing, Tax Issues in 2018
Dec 29 2017 // Expect some new debates on old measures when Nebraska lawmakers return to the Capitol next month for the 2018 session. Senators have spent the last few months tinkering with proposals that stalled last year in hopes of...
Company in Indiana Ordered by Judge to Uphold Insurance Polices
Dec 28 2017 // A public television station has won a court battle over insurance policies that could pay for cleaning up contamination at the site of a shuttered Evansville dry-cleaning business. Judge Richard D’Amour ordered Red...
Pot-Infused Fare from Wine to Tacos on California’s Menu
Dec 28 2017 // The sauvignon blanc boasts brassy, citrus notes, but with one whiff, it’s apparent this is no normal Sonoma County wine. It’s infused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that provides the...
Michigan Fights Federal Judge’s Ruling Restricting Driver’s License Suspensions
Dec 28 2017 // The state of Michigan is trying to stop a court order that prevents officials from suspending the driver’s licenses of people who can’t afford traffic fines. Lawyers representing the secretary of state have...
Judge Nixes $150M Damages Against Testosterone Drugmaker AbbVie
Dec 27 2017 // A U.S. judge on Friday overturned a $150 million verdict against AbbVie Inc. that was the first to result from lawsuits claiming that the company fraudulently misrepresented the risks of its testosterone replacement drug...
What They Are Saying About Effects of Trump Tax Cuts on Insurance Industry
Dec 22 2017 // Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR1) into law. It is the biggest tax change in 30 years. Under the legislation, insurers, agencies and other businesses organized as C...
Missouri Governor Backs Workers’ Comp Boost for Firefighters
Dec 22 2017 // Missouri lawmakers should make it easier for firefighters to get workers’ compensation, Gov. Eric Greitens said during a visit to the St. Louis Fire Academy. The bill by Republican Rep. Nick Schroer would make...
EU Ruling Upholding Taxi Rules for Uber a Contrast to U.S. Approach
Dec 22 2017 // A European Union decision to treat Uber Technologies Inc. like a taxi company spotlights a trans-Atlantic divide over how governments cope with disruptive technologies and could embolden U.S. cities to restrict the...
Trump Effort to Roll Back Rail Safety Rules Questioned Following Amtrak Crash
Dec 22 2017 // As investigators sift through the wreckage of this week’s Amtrak train crash in Washington state, critics have begun questioning President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to roll back or delay finalizing U.S....
Congress OKs Stop-Gap Funding to Avoid Government Shutdown
Dec 21 2017 // The Senate gave final approval Thursday night to a short-term extension of federal funding to keep the government running for three more weeks while shoving a raft of fiscal and policy fights into the new year. The...
Judge Bars Captain from Piloting Ships Following Fatal Rhode Island Crash
Dec 21 2017 // A New Jersey yacht captain is barred from piloting ships as he awaits trial in the death of an 81-year-old Connecticut boater in Rhode Island waters. U.S. District Court Magistrate Patricia Sullivan ordered Cooper...
New Law Requires Notice of Workers’ Comp Premium Hikes in New York
Dec 20 2017 // New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed Assembly Bill No. 1620 into law yesterday, requiring insurance companies to notify employers in advance of some workers’ compensation insurance premium increases. The law was...
Factbox: Growing List of Insurers Make Brexit Plans for EU Subsidiaries
Dec 20 2017 // Below are insurers’ plans for EU subsidiaries (in alphabetical order) in case Britain does not have access to the single market after Brexit: ADMIRAL. British motor insurer Admiral Group said last year that it could...
EU Court Rules Uber Should Be Regulated as Transport Firm, Not an App
Dec 20 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. suffered a defeat when the European Union’s top court ruled its ride-hailing service should be regulated as a transport company, a decision that could set a precedent for the burgeoning gig...
N.Y. Finalizes Regulation to Protect Drivers from Unfair Auto Insurance Rates
Dec 19 2017 // The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has finalized a regulation that protects New York drivers from unfairly discriminatory auto insurance rates and has already reached agreements with two major insurers...
House Republicans Eye Disaster Aid, Short-Term Funding Bill
Dec 19 2017 // House Republicans agreed Monday on $81 billion in disaster relief for areas hit by hurricanes and wildfires, the largest standalone aid bill in recent years, according to a document provided by a Republican lawmaker. The...
