Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ex-Treasury Official Wolin Urges Federal, State Collaboration to Improve Regulation
Jan 17 2014 // To make continued improvements in the U.S. insurance regulatory system, it’s imperative for state and federal officials to work collaboratively and share information and perspectives, said former Deputy Treasury...
Autonomous Vehicle Testing Regulations for California Coming Soon
Jan 16 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...
Congressional Negotiations on Farm Bill Said Close to Deal
Jan 16 2014 // Negotiations in Congress on the long overdue U.S. farm bill could be completed this week after progress was stalled by a disagreement over a dairy price support program, a senator said on Wednesday. The five-year farm...
Senate Re-Election Politics Boosts Flood Insurance Delay Proposals
Jan 16 2014 // Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will do just about anything to help Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu. He arranged the chamber’s floor agenda this week so Landrieu could lead debate on a flood insurance rate reprieve...
Credit Card Breach Update: Neiman Marcus Investigated; Target Sued by Bank
Jan 15 2014 // Neiman Marcus Group Ltd. is being investigated by states including Connecticut and Illinois over the theft of customer credit-card data by hackers, and a bank sued Target Corp. for its data breach during the holiday...
Judge Delays NFL’s $914M Concussion Settlement
Jan 15 2014 // National Football League’s $914 million settlement of claims tied to player concussions was denied preliminary approval by a federal judge who said she is concerned that not all players will be paid. U.S. District...
Calls for Tougher Chemical Regulation Follow West Virginia Spill
Jan 14 2014 // A chemical spill that left 300,000 people in West Virginia unable to drink their water is reviving calls for more stringent regulation of thousands of chemical storage sites in the U.S., especially those near water...
N.H. Court Upholds Local Government Center Repayment Decision
Jan 13 2014 // The New Hampshire Supreme Court has upheld an order for the Local Government Center to return $33 million in surplus risk-pool funds to participating cities and towns and restore $17 million it transferred out of its...
Walker Named North Carolina Captive Insurance Director
Jan 13 2014 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has named Debbie Walker as director of captive insurance for the state. As head of the insurance department’s new captive insurance section, Walker will be...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants Church Shelters Protected from Liability Lawsuits
Jan 13 2014 // An Oklahoma legislator is proposing a measure that would protect churches from lawsuits if someone is injured when they open their doors as disaster shelters. On Friday, state Rep. Bobby Cleveland of Slaughterville...
Florida Panel Takes First Step To Creating Private Flood Market
Jan 13 2014 // With thousands of Florida residents facing dramatic increases in their flood insurance premiums, state lawmakers are preparing the groundwork for a private market option to premiums charged by the federal flood insurance...
Policing the ‘Dark Side’ of Internet of Things
Jan 13 2014 // The futuristic world of self-driving cars, eyeglasses that e-mail and trash cans that call for pickup is running into the old-fashioned pace of doing business in Washington. Companies from Google Inc. to Bayerische Motoren...
EnPro’s Garlock Wins Trial on Asbestos Liability; Judge Hits Claimants’ Lawyers
Jan 13 2014 // Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC, a unit of EnPro Industries Inc., emerged victorious after a trial with official representatives of asbestos personal injury claimants. Adopting the company’s estimate, U.S....
Flood Maps Still Wrong, Oregon Homeowners Still Paying
Jan 13 2014 // Months after Carol Justice was wrongly told her home needs flood insurance, the Cornelius resident is still paying up – even though a surveyor has since determined her house is not in the flood zone. Justice is one of...
Failing to Make the Case for Rate Regulation
Jan 13 2014 // In 1988 California voters enacted Proposition 103, in one stroke changing the state’s law regulating insurance rates from one of the least restrictive to one of the most restrictive in the nation. In the 25 years...
Transportation Network Companies, Uber Gap Worries Insurers
Jan 10 2014 // The tragedy of a young girl who was killed on New Year’s Eve by a motorist on contract with a cellphone app-based ridesharing service has at least one insurance group speaking up even louder to drive home a point...
Penn. Court: Caregiver Mother Stabbed by Son Deserves Workers’ Comp
Jan 10 2014 // A 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 slashing her...
Delaware Judge Weighs D&O Insurer’s Obligation in Oracle Settlement
Jan 10 2014 // Attorneys for Oracle Corp. are asking a Delaware judge to order an insurer to pay $20 million to cover attorney fees related to the proposed settlement of a shareholder lawsuit. The lawsuit challenged Oracle’s 2011...
Bill Giving White House ‘Fast Track’ Trade Pact Authority Filed But Passage Uncertain
Jan 10 2014 // U.S. lawmakers on Thursday proposed a bill to give the White House power to fast-track international trade agreements as the United States gears up for a hectic year of trade negotiations. The bill would let the...
Pressure Mounts to Improve Oil-Rail Safety; Older Tank Cars in Canada Crash
Jan 10 2014 // Political pressure to quickly improve the safety of crude oil rail shipments intensified in Washington on Thursday, while Canadian officials said two of the cars involved in the latest fiery derailment were of an older...
