Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Md. Legislation to Require Roadside Zoos to Carry $1M Liability Coverage
Mar 21 2014 // Both houses of the Maryland General Assembly have passed bills to stiffen requirements for roadside zoos without requiring them to be accredited or meet certain safety and animal-care standards. The Frederick News-Post...
Global Insurance Organization’s G-20 Delegates Stress Social, Economic Role
Mar 21 2014 // In a series of meetings this week with the Australian G-20 Presidency, the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) has called on the G-20 to “ensure that all international regulatory reform initiatives...
Judge Judy Files Suit Against Connecticut Lawyer, Seeks $75K in Damages
Mar 19 2014 // Television’s Judge Judy filed a lawsuit last week against a Connecticut personal-injury lawyer, alleging that he used her image without authorization in advertisements that falsely suggested she had endorsed his...
Oklahoma Court Rules for Whataburger in Hot Gravy Lawsuit
Mar 19 2014 // An Oklahoma appeals court has ruled a mother is not entitled to recover any damages after her 7-year-old daughter spilled hot gravy on her leg after buying a meal from a fast food restaurant’s drive-through...
Seattle To Regulate Rideshare Companies
Mar 19 2014 // See related story: Uber Announces New Policy to Cover Gap The Seattle City Council passed a measure Monday that puts some regulations on rideshare companies that use smartphone apps to connect passengers with rides from...
Mississippi Enacts First Statewide Building Code Law
Mar 19 2014 // Mississippi has enacted its first statewide building code that is designed to set construction guidelines to strengthen homes and other buildings from hurricane and other weather-related damage. Governor Phil Bryant signed...
Google Escapes Privacy Class Action with Judge’s Ruling
Mar 19 2014 // Google Inc. won a significant legal victory as a U.S. judge decided not to combine several lawsuits that accuse the Internet search company of violating the privacy rights of hundreds of millions of email users into a...
Solvency II, Not TRIA, Shaping Up as Year’s Hottest Debate
Mar 18 2014 // Ever since Congress last renewed the program in 2007, I’ve expected that reauthorizing the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) would dominate Washington’s insurance debate in late 2014. I’m not so sure...
Judge Orders Tennessee to Honor 3 Out-of-State Gay Marriages
Mar 17 2014 // A federal judge ordered the state of Tennessee on Friday to recognize the marriages of three same-sex couples while their lawsuit against the state works its way through the court system. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger...
Private Crop Insurers Win As Taxpayers Lose in New Farm Program, Say Critics
Mar 17 2014 // U.S. farmers last week finalized their crop insurance plans for spring planting with critics of the government-subsidized program saying insurers are set up for a bonanza after passage of the new five-year farm bill last...
Insurers to Illinois Lawmakers: Regulate Commercial Rideshare Insurance Coverage
Mar 16 2014 // Two of the nation’s largest property/casualty insurer trade associations have weighed in with Illinois lawmakers on the subject of insurance coverage for commercial rideshare companies, saying such companies should...
President Obama Will Sign Flood Insurance Relief Bill
Mar 16 2014 // President Barack Obama is set to sign into law a bipartisan bill relieving homeowners living in flood-prone neighborhoods from big increases in their insurance bills. The legislation, which cleared Congress on Thursday,...
Jersey Shore Residents Hail Passage of Flood Insurance Relief Bill
Mar 15 2014 // Sue Suebelka, who had little fish swimming among the shelves of her new refrigerator, won’t have to pay quite as much for flood insurance. Kim Ely, who still washes dishes in a bucket and eats dinner from a microwave...
Colorado Bill Limiting Drivers’ Use Of Cellphones Stalls
Mar 14 2014 // New restrictions on cellphone use while driving stalled in the Colorado House on Wednesday as lawmakers wrestled with emotional testimony and the logistics of enforcing the proposal. With the bill, Colorado would join 12...
Florida’s Citizens Reaches Sinkhole Settlement
Mar 14 2014 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer said it has reached an agreement with more than 300 policyholders with sinkhole claims that officials say could save the insurer $30 million in legal fees. Citizens Property...
Florida Supreme Court Throws Out Medical Damages Caps Law
Mar 14 2014 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice wrongful death cases violate the state Constitution’s equal protection clause. The 5-2 opinion held that...
Uber Announces New Policy to Cover Gap
Mar 14 2014 // Ridesharing company Uber on Friday said it has new insurance to cover a gap between personal and commercial policies when drivers are using the app-based ridesharing service, while the company’s CEO said the San...
P/C Reinsurance Market Softer Due to Alternative Capital: Execs
Mar 14 2014 // A new survey from Towers Watson confirms that more than half (55 percent) of property/casualty insurance chief financial officers believe the property reinsurance market is softer than the primary market, while about...
777 Mystery Sharpens Hunt for ‘Black-box’ Alternatives: Aviation Expert
Mar 14 2014 // The search for the missing Malaysian jet could speed development of new ways of locating wreckage, but such technology is unlikely to replace the traditional “black box” any time soon, France’s top crash...
Mass. House OKs Bill to Soften Impact of Flood Insurance Rules
Mar 13 2014 // The Massachusetts House on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill designed to soften the impact of new federal flood insurance rules on many of the state’s coastal homeowners. The measure, sponsored by Democratic...
