Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Concerns Raised in Louisiana about Navigating Health Exchange

Sep 19 2013 // State lawmakers said they are concerned about a shortage of people helping Louisiana residents sign up for new insurance options available under the federal health care law. The worries came up as the House and Senate...

Massachusetts High Court Affirms $20.6M Award in Slide Death

Sep 18 2013 // The highest court in Massachusetts upheld a $20.6 million jury award on Sept. 13 for the family of a woman who died after hitting her head on a concrete pool deck when an inflatable slide partially collapsed. A jury...

Groups Object to Florida’s Citizens Insuring Out-of-State Policyholders

Sep 18 2013 // A coalition of Florida business and consumer groups is objecting to the state-backed property insurer providing coverage for 180,000 individuals who reside outside of the state and, in some cases, the country. The Stronger...

State Insurance Regulators Invoke Jefferson to Limit Federal Role

Sep 18 2013 // State insurance regulators are drawing on the country’s founding principles as they resist international pressure to give the federal government a greater role in overseeing the industry. Ben Nelson, chief executive...

Missouri Lawmakers Add Limits on Liability Lawsuits

Sep 16 2013 // Missouri lawmakers have chipped away at the ability of injury victims to win money in court cases – nixing big-dollar judgments in some lead poisoning and traffic accident cases, and shielding volunteer health care...

Judge Upholds Univ. of Wisconsin Doctor Malpractice Cap

Sep 16 2013 // A Dane County judge has upheld a $250,000 malpractice cap for University of Wisconsin-Madison doctors. The case involves a Verona woman who won a $1.8 million jury award in her husband’s death, as the jury found a UW...

How Agents, Brokers Can Help Themselves, Clients with Healthcare Reform

Sep 13 2013 // The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has accelerated change and confusion in the health insurance marketplace and businesses and individuals are counting on their insurance agents and brokers to help them understand the...

Insurance Pros in Politics: Garamendi Says Economy Needs Insurance

Sep 13 2013 // When it comes to mixing insurance and politics Congressman John Garamendi, D-California, can be considered an authority on the topic. While Garamendi never served professionally in the insurance industry, after the...

Missouri Lawmakers Override On Uninsured Motorists

Sep 13 2013 // Missouri lawmakers have approved a veto override of legislation restricting lawsuits by uninsured motorists. The House approved the override Wednesday on a 109-51 vote, the bare minimum needed for a two-thirds majority....

Insurance Pros in Politics: Beth Gaines Wants More “Business-Friendly” State

Sep 12 2013 // Although California Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, R-Rocklin, married into the insurance business, it seems to run in her blood, because it’s her blood that boils when she feels small businesses are being attacked by...

Insurance Pros in Politics: Being an Agent Prepared Tennessee Sen. Ketron for Politics

Sep 12 2013 // Insurance was a great training ground for now State Sen. Bill Ketron, who has been a member of the Tennessee Senate since 2002 while also serving as president of his own independent agency founded by his late...

Will Third Time Be the Charm for National Producer Licensing Bill?

Sep 12 2013 // Will the third time be the charm? Insurance groups and lobbyists in Washington are hoping so, after the House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly passed a bill (H.R. 1155 ) to streamline the insurance producer...

Crop Insurance Critics, Defenders in Last Push Over Reforms

Sep 12 2013 // Critics of the U.S. crop insurance program are calling for cuts to it and other agribusiness subsidies as Congress revamps farm policy. A bipartisan group of lawmakers planned to meet yesterday in Washington to re-examine...

Critics Say Taxpayers’ $14B Guarantees Profit for Crop Insurers

Sep 11 2013 // Former American International Group Inc. chief Maurice “Hank” Greenberg has a new business partner: the U.S. taxpayer. Greenberg’s Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. is one of 18 companies approved to...

Insurance Pros in Politics: Insurance Veterans Elect to Also Work in State Legislatures

Sep 10 2013 // Running a successful insurance agency business is tough enough by itself but some insurance pros are taking it one step further. They manage to juggle multiple careers in insurance and politics. Pennsylvania State Sen....

Insurance Pros in Politics: Midwest Politicians Work as Insurance Advocates

Sep 10 2013 // Those who have worked in the insurance industry and now practice politics in the Midwest say they are able to provide valuable insight into policies and insurance laws that affect their state’s important industries...

Appeals Court Rules Against Louisiana Abortion Providers in Liability Case

Sep 10 2013 // A federal appeals court has ruled that a group of Louisiana abortion providers lack the standing to challenge part of a 1997 law that can make them liable for damage caused by an abortion procedure and denies them access...

Delaware Workers’ Compensation Task Force Reconvenes

Sep 9 2013 // Delaware’s Workers’ Compensation Task Force reconvened last Friday for its first meeting since Gov. Jack Markell signed the group’s recommendations into law on June 27, 2013. The task force will now hold...

G20 Vows to Coordinate Financial Services Regulations

Sep 9 2013 // World leaders renewed their determination on Friday to work more closely and regulate across the financial system to avoid conflicting rules that would crimp economic growth. The Group of 20 nations (G20) ended a summit in...

Crop Insurance: A Growing Problem in Time of Record Farm Profits

Sep 9 2013 // A Depression-era program intended to save the nation’s farmers from ruin has grown into a 21st- century crutch enabling affluent growers and financial institutions to thrive at U.S. taxpayer expense. Federal crop...