Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Claims Facebook Not Taking Terrorism Threat Seriously
Sep 23 2016 // A federal judge slammed Facebook Inc., saying the social media giant might not be doing enough to deter terrorists from using its platform. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn, New York, also accused...
Arkansas Judge: Investors Can Sue Wal-Mart as Group Over Mexico Bribe Claim
Sep 22 2016 // An Arkansas judge has ruled Wal-Mart Stores Inc. investors may bring fraud claims against the retailer as a group, clearing a hurdle in a lawsuit over bribes it allegedly paid to help open new stores in Mexico. The ruling...
Beazley Names Sanchez as International Breach Response Services Manager
Sep 22 2016 // Beazley, the London-based provider of data breach response insurance, has appointed Rafael Sanchez as Beazley Breach Response Services (BBR Services) manager, International, to manage the breach response services provided...
West Virginia Lawmakers Approve $85M in Flood Relief
Sep 21 2016 // West Virginia lawmakers have finished a brief session addressing recovery costs from deadly floods in June. The Senate adjourned Tuesday after confirming gubernatorial appointments. The House of Delegates adjourned...
Florida Awaiting Final Workers’ Comp Rate Decision
Sep 20 2016 // The rate impact of recent Florida Supreme Court rulings on the state’s workers’ compensation system is currently in the hands of regulators, as the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) decides on the National...
U.S. Judge Allows Class Action Alleging State Farm Bankrolled Judge
Sep 20 2016 // Some customers of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. claim the company conspired to help elect an Illinois Supreme Court candidate so he could vote to throw out a $1 billion award against the company. Now they will...
U.S. to Unveil Safety Standards for Autonomous Vehicles
Sep 20 2016 // The Obama administration’s proposed guidelines for self-driving cars, to be formally unveiled Tuesday, include 15 benchmarks automakers will need to meet before their autonomous vehicles can hit the road. The...
Why Insurers Must Pick Up Their Technology Pace
Sep 20 2016 // The insurance industry is on the horns of a dilemma: how to use new technologies to improve their operations and how to insure the risks these new technologies present to their customers. The pace of technology is changing...
Pain Care Lobby Gave $3.5M in Ohio Political Donations as Opioid Deaths Climbed
Sep 19 2016 // As Ohio’s overdose epidemic has climbed toward a record high, an army of lobbyists representing makers of prescription painkillers and their allies poured more than $3.5 million into Ohio political...
Trump Sends Mixed Message on Food Safety Standards
Sep 19 2016 // The Trump campaign pitched rolling back food safety regulations in a fact sheet, arguing they are burdensome to farmers and “overkill.” But the campaign later deleted the proposal from its website and offered...
Senate Bill Would Help Claimants of Artwork Stolen by Nazis
Sep 19 2016 // Heirs trying to recover artwork lost to Nazi looting during World War II could get some help under a bill approved by a Senate panel on Thursday. The bipartisan legislation backed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a...
Report: Alabama No. 1 in Country for Prescription Opioid Use
Sep 19 2016 // Alabama has the highest level of prescription opioid use in the country, and companies that make the painkillers and their allies have hired an average of 18 lobbyists annually in the state since 2006 to push their...
Closing Quote: Health and Optimism in Surplus Lines
Sep 19 2016 // The surplus lines industry continues to outperform the overall property/casualty market, but that doesn’t mean it’s not without its own challenges. The annual U.S. Surplus Lines – Segment Review, produced...
New Technologies: A Double-Edged Sword for Insurance Companies
Sep 19 2016 // The insurance industry is on the horns of a dilemma: how to use new technologies to improve operations and how to insure the risks these new technologies present to customers. Situation The pace of technology is changing...
What’s Driving Reinsurance Growth: Aon
Sep 19 2016 // Reinsurance demand has increased over the past 18 months, with the cession ratio across the global property/casualty insurance industry registering a small rise for the first time in several years, and the trend expected...
Alabama Department of Insurance Re-Accredited by NAIC
Sep 19 2016 // The Alabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI) announced Aug. 31 that it has been re-accredited by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for a 5-year term. The ALDOI received its first NAIC accreditation...
State Oversight of Thrill Rides Questioned After Recent Accidents
Sep 19 2016 // In some parts of the U.S., the thrill rides that hurl kids upside down, whirl them around or send them shooting down slides are checked out by state inspectors before customers climb on. But in other places, they are not...
Court Rules Massachusetts Law Applies in Rhode Island Contamination Suit
Sep 19 2016 // The Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled that Massachusetts law should apply in deciding whether Narragansett Electric Co. (NEC), a Rhode Island-based utilities provider, is entitled to insurance coverage for...
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Paralyzed Waterpark Visitor Can Proceed with Gross Negligence Suit
Sep 19 2016 // A New Jersey waterpark visitor who was partially paralyzed in a 2010 accident while on a ride that simulates surfing can proceed with a lawsuit, the state Supreme Court ruled. Roy Steinberg and his wife claim employees at...
Future Workers’ Compensation Profitability Faces Obstacles
Sep 19 2016 // Workers’ compensation, the largest product segment in the U.S. commercial lines insurance sector, has experienced a recent profit renaissance, moving to a significant underwriting profit in 2015. However, long-term...