Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Lawmakers Pass Homeowners’ Rights Bill With Credit Restriction
May 1 2014 // Insurers in Florida could not use credit information to deny a claim or cancel a policy under a bill now headed to the desk of Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The Florida House voted unanimously for a bill that would also create...
Judge Orders BP Claimant, Lawyers to Return $357K Award
May 1 2014 // A federal judge in New Orleans has ruled that a $357,000 payment in a damage claim from the 2010 BP oil spill must be repaid because the claim was fraudulent. The claim had been made by Casey Thonn for seafood losses. An...
Minneapolis Considering Regulations for Rideshare Companies
May 1 2014 // Minneapolis, Minn., is among cities across the country deciding how best to regulate app-based rideshare companies that connect drivers with passengers. Milwaukee is facing a similar challenge in neighboring Wisconsin. The...
Senate Cybersecurity Bill Gives Firms Liability Protection for Sharing Data
Apr 30 2014 // U.S. administration officials, private sector executives and privacy advocates are reviewing a draft of a bill that would encourage sharing of cybersecurity data between the government and companies, two key Senators said...
Supreme Court Rules Patent Suit Winners Can Get Legal Fees
Apr 30 2014 // Companies that successfully fight off “unreasonable” patent lawsuits can get their legal fees paid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that may benefit Google Inc., Apple Inc. and other technology...
Starr’s Greenberg Loses Bid for Jury, Must Face Judge He Criticized
Apr 30 2014 // Former AIG chief Maurice “Hank” Greenberg will have to defend himself against claims of accounting fraud in a non-jury trial conducted by a judge he tried to remove for alleged bias. Justice Charles Ramos of...
Insurance Agents Not Giving Up on NARAB Producer Licensing Reform
Apr 28 2014 // The insurance industry has not given up on getting Congress to pass legislation to create a national producer registry and make it easier for agents and brokers become licensed in multiple states. The Independent Insurance...
Surplus Lines Insurers Could Pick Up Citizens Policies Under Senate Bill
Apr 28 2014 // Homeowners seeking coverage from Citizens Property Insurance could wind up getting policies from out-of-state insurers that are exempt from many of the state regulations other insurers must honor. The Florida Senate on...
Insurers Cooperated in Writing of Florida Rule on Gun Ownership
Apr 27 2014 // Florida lawmakers have approved legislation that supporters say will uphold a policyholder’s constitutional right to bear arms by preventing insurers from using gun ownership in underwriting. The Florida House of...
Mexico, Nicaragua Earthquakes Unlikely to Impact Insurance Industry: Fitch Ratings
Apr 25 2014 // Fitch Ratings said it “believes that the insurance industry and the ratings currently assigned to P&C companies in Nicaragua and Mexico will not be affected by the earthquakes that recently hit these...
Arizona Senate Takes Side of Uber, Lyft Ridesharing Services
Apr 24 2014 // Calling Uber a cutting-edge concept, the Arizona Senate approved a bill that exempts it and other rideshare companies from the same regulations that traditional taxi and limo companies have. The amended bill exempts...
Judge Denies New York Fed Employee Whistleblower Protection Over Firing
Apr 24 2014 // A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by a former bank examiner who claimed the Fed fired her after she refused to change certain findings about Goldman Sachs Group...
Duke Puts $10B Pricetag on North Carolina Coal-Ash Cleanup
Apr 24 2014 // Duke Energy Corp. said the total tab for cleaning up its North Carolina coal-ash dumps may reach $10 billion amid a call for national rules to regulate the disposal of the fossil-fuel byproduct. Duke plans to spend $2...
Florida Supreme Court Leaves PIP Reforms Intact
Apr 23 2014 // The Florida Supreme Court has declined to review the state’s no-fault automobile insurance personal injury protection (PIP) reforms that were designed to lower the cost of the coverage by targeting fraud and...
Vermont Regulators: Updated Law Offers ‘Welcome Option’ for Inactive Captives
Apr 23 2014 // Vermont’s updated captive insurance law now offers inactive captives in the state a chance to apply for a “dormant” status. Vermont regulators said this latest modification reflects the state’s...
Federal Suit Filed Against California Lawmaker, Aide in Fatal DUI
Apr 22 2014 // The parents of a Santa Barbara woman who was fatally struck by a congresswoman’s aide filed a federal lawsuit against the driver, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps and the U.S. government. The wrongful death suit filed by Matt...
Judge Dismisses Suit Challenging New Hampshire Ski Resort Immunity
Apr 22 2014 // A judge has dismissed a Massachusetts couple’s lawsuit against the operators of a New Hampshire ski area, saying the companies can’t be held liable for a crash between a ski instructor and a teenage boy. Susan...
How Uber, Tesler Are Disrupting Transportation Monopolies: Viewpoint
Apr 22 2014 // Question: What’s an automotive monopolist’s worst nightmare? Answer: Uber picks you up in a Tesla. Two big Silicon Valley companies are busy disrupting state-sponsored transportation monopolies. Uber is...
Report: Former EU Banker Urges Reactivate Securitization to Enhance Credit
Apr 22 2014 // Jacques de Larosiere says he is an isolated and modest man. Yet the 84-year-old former head of the International Monetary Fund is one of the most influential voices in European and global finance. An eminence grise as...
Rhode Island Gov. Signs Legislation Allowing Digital Proof of Auto Insurance
Apr 21 2014 // Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has signed into law legislation allowing motorists in Rhode Island to use their smartphones to offer police proof they have auto insurance. The bills sponsored by Sen. William Conley Jr....
