Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Passes Expanded Medical Marijuana Legislation, Bill Heads to Governor
Mar 9 2016 // Florida’s contentious medical marijuana legislation is headed to Gov. Rick Scott. After 21/2 hours of debate on Monday, the Senate approved a House version of a bill (HB 307) that would expand the so-called...
Florida Assignment of Benefits, Ridesharing Bills Approaching Dead End
Mar 8 2016 // It’s looking like Florida lawmakers will not provide resolution for two controversial issues currently facing the Florida insurance industry, this year at least. With just three days left in the 2016 Florida Session,...
Washington Judge Orders Lender to Pay Homeowner $213K for Distress
Mar 8 2016 // A nationwide mortgage lender is appealing a $213,000 emotional distress judgment awarded to a Bellevue, Wash. mom who was fighting to keep her home. Leticia Lucero sued Cenlar after the company failed to notify lenders her...
Florida High Court Rules Artist Can Sue UPS Over Lost Paintings
Mar 8 2016 // The Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that an artist can sue UPS in state court over two paintings removed from their shipping tube while in transit and sold by the company UPS contracts to handle its...
Taxi Drivers Sue Jackson, Mississippi Over ‘Unfair’ Regulations
Mar 7 2016 // Two taxicab drivers are suing the city of Jackson, Mississippi, claiming the city has imposed restrictive regulations on the taxi industry. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy announced March 2 that taxicab drivers...
Audit Criticizes Michigan Environmental Regulators over Flint Water Crisis
Mar 7 2016 // Michigan environmental regulators made crucial errors as Flint began using a new drinking water source that would become contaminated with lead, auditors said on March 4, as crews in the city started to dig up old pipes...
State Lawmakers Seeking Ways to Grapple with ‘Big Data’ in Insurance
Mar 7 2016 // Insurance is about information. Outside of the technology industry itself, few sectors are better situated to seize the advantages of so-called “big data” than insurance. Such was the consensus of a panel...
Mass. Bill Would Mandate Background Checks for Rideshare Drivers
Mar 7 2016 // Massachusetts state lawmakers unveiled a bill that would regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft with a requirement that drivers undergo rigorous criminal background checks but not fingerprinting. The House...
Vermont Fines Continental for Workers’ Comp Overcharges
Mar 7 2016 // Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Susan L. Donegan announced on Feb. 26 that Continental Indemnity Co., a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, has paid Vermont...
Ridesharing Companies Get 2 More Months to Operate in Florida County
Mar 6 2016 // The Commission in Palm Beach County, Florida, has voted to allow ridesharing services Uber and Lyft to keep operating for the next two months. The Sun Sentinel reports that the commission voted March 1 to extend a...
Massachusetts Top Court Rules on Damages for Injured Workers
Mar 4 2016 // Massachusetts’ highest court recently ruled in a case of first impression that a workers’ compensation insurer is not entitled to a lien on the money awarded to claimants for pain and suffering. This ruling...
Iowa Business Leaders Backing Bill Expanding Medical Marijuana Law
Mar 3 2016 // Influential Iowa business leaders are urging state legislators to pass a bill that would expand the state’s medical marijuana laws. The Des Moines Register reports that more than 90 business leaders sent lawmakers a...
Hedge Funds Leery of Moves to Limit U.S. Reinsurance Tax Break
Mar 3 2016 // Dan Loeb’s reinsurer cited risks tied to regulation as the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden work to limit what the lawmaker called a “tax loophole” used by hedge fund managers to route...
Hawaii Lawmakers Consider Ban on Bosses from Workers’ Personal Accounts
Mar 2 2016 // Hawaii lawmakers are considering a bill to ban employers from accessing employees’ personal social media accounts. So far, more than 20 states have banned employers from snooping in employees’ personal...
House Committee Passes Private Flood Insurance Bill
Mar 2 2016 // The House Financial Services Committee this morning approved a proposal intended to encourage more private insurers to write flood insurance. The committee approved the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act...
U.S. Top Court Rules Against Vermont’s Healthcare Data Law
Mar 2 2016 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Vermont cannot compel health insurers to hand over data on the amount paid on medical claims, backing Liberty Mutual Insurance Co’s contention that federal law prohibited...
‘Brexit’ Could Hurt Investments, Cause Regulatory Uncertainty: UK’s Direct Line
Mar 1 2016 // A British exit from the European Union could hurt UK insurer Direct Line’s investment portfolio and cause regulatory uncertainty, it said on Tuesday after posting a 3 percent rise in 2015 operating profit. Britain...
5 Governments Write to China, Expressing Concern over New & Draft Laws
Mar 1 2016 // The United States, Canada, Germany, Japan and the European Union have written to China to express concern over three new or planned laws, including one on counterterrorism, in a rare joint bid to pressure Beijing into...
Vermont Fines Continental Indemnity for Workers’ Comp Premium Overcharges
Feb 29 2016 // Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Susan L. Donegan announced on Feb. 26 that Continental Indemnity Co., a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company, has paid Vermont...
Lee Named Head of Regulation and Enforcement at Wisconsin Insurance Department
Feb 29 2016 // Wisconsin’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance announced that Cari Lee has been appointed as division administrator of Regulation and Enforcement. Lee supervises both the Bureau of Market Regulation and the...
