Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senate Takes First Step on Flood Insurance, Agent Licensing Bill
Jan 27 2014 // The Senate voted 86-13 early Monday evening to proceed with debate on a bill to both delay some flood insurance premium increases and establish an optional national registry for insurance agent and broker licensing. That...
Kentucky Lawmakers May Debate Medical Malpractice Again
Jan 27 2014 // Kentucky lawmakers are preparing for another debate on whether to shake up the state’s medical malpractice system, with some influential outside voices joining on both sides of the discussion. A new coalition of...
Supreme Court Grants Nuns Compromise on Obamacare Birth Control Benefit
Jan 27 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court said an order of Catholic nuns, for now, doesn’t have to fill out an Obama administration form that the religious group says might lead to contraceptive coverage for its employees. The justices...
Illinois Legislation Aims to Curb Pay for Non-Work Accidents
Jan 27 2014 // A bill filed in Illinois aims to clarify who is responsible for injuries sustained in a traffic accident on the way to work. Sen. Kyle McCarter, a Lebanon Republican, introduced Senate Bill 2622, which exempts an employer...
Court: Caregiver Stabbed by Son Deserves Workers’ Comp
Jan 27 2014 // A Pennsylvania state appeals court ruled on Jan. 8 that a western Pennsylvania woman who was paid to help care for her disabled adult son in her home deserves workers’ compensation after he tried to kill her by...
Autonomous Vehicle Testing Regulations for California Coming Soon
Jan 27 2014 // If you think Google when you think about autonomous vehicles driving the streets, you’re leaving out the rest of the players in what some see as the future of the auto industry. If fact, there are enough players in...
Judge Puts Missouri Law on Healthcare Navigator Licensing on Hold
Jan 26 2014 // A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against Missouri’s law requiring a state license to serve as a navigator to help consumers sign up for coverage through the new health insurance marketplace. U.S....
How to Encourage Private Flood Insurance; Why Delaying Biggert-Waters Is Not the Answer
Jan 24 2014 // New technologies and a better understanding of flood risk may have increased private insurers’ interest in providing flood insurance but real obstacles remain to the private sector getting involved. The obstacles...
Republicans Vow to Develop Alternative to Obamacare
Jan 24 2014 // Top Republicans are saying they can no longer just be the party of “No” on Obamacare: They need to come up with an alternative healthcare policy. While many Americans are skeptical of President Barack...
Report Finds Florida PIP Reforms Helping to Lower Rates
Jan 24 2014 // Florida drivers are starting to see the benefits of a 2012 re-write of the state’s no-fault automobile insurance law as insurers have reduced their personal injury protection (PIP) rates by a statewide average 13.2...
North Carolina Lawmakers Weigh Privacy Regulations for Drones
Jan 23 2014 // General Assembly members began learning more Tuesday about the emerging unmanned aircraft industry and are likely to debate soon what restrictions North Carolina could place on drones to protect people’s privacy. A...
Felony DUI Bill Working in Washington Legislature
Jan 22 2014 // A Seattle man who lost his parents and whose wife and infant son were seriously injured last March by a drunken driver asked a Senate panel on Monday to pass a measure that would make it a felony charge to drive under the...
Texting While Driving Ban Goal of South Dakota Lawmaker
Jan 22 2014 // A South Dakota lawmaker plans to press “send” again and try to persuade his colleagues in the Legislature to join 41 other states and ban texting while driving. Similar measure have failed in recent legislative...
West Virginia Politicians Call for State, Federal Regulation of Chemicals
Jan 22 2014 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin this week proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. Tomblin, the Democratic...
New Federal Safety Rules Target Bus, Truck Firms with Repeat Violations
Jan 22 2014 // Intercity bus and truck companies with a continuing history of safety problems will be easier to shut down under regulations published online last Friday by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, an agency under fire...
Enforcement of Obamacare Executive Benefits Rule Delayed: Report
Jan 22 2014 // The Obama administration is delaying enforcement of a provision of the new healthcare law that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than to other employees, the New York Times...
Senate Links Agent Licensing Reform with Flood Insurance Delay
Jan 21 2014 // There is a new political wrinkle in the attempt to stave off flood insurance rate hikes across the country. The Senate has attached an industry-supported bill to streamline agent and broker licensing to its bill to delay...
Arkansas Lawmaker Applies to Run State Insurance Exchange
Jan 17 2014 // The Arkansas lawmaker who sponsored the law creating the Health Insurance Marketplace Board has applied to serve as the marketplace’s executive director. Rep. Mark Biviano, R-Searcy, is one of two applicants...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Files Bill to Fund School Storm Shelters
Jan 17 2014 // An Oklahoma lawmaker has filed legislation that would ask voters to decide whether to fund storm shelters in public schools. The measure was filed by Rep. Joe Dorman of Rush Springs, a Democratic candidate for governor. It...
Florida Bill Would Restrict Insurers in Underwriting Gun Owners
Jan 17 2014 // Florida lawmakers say they want to protect policyholders’ second amendment rights to bear firearms by preventing insurers from issuing, renewing or canceling a policy based on whether the policyholder possesses a...
