Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Congress to Renew Effort on Farm Bill, Insurance Subsidies Next Week
May 7 2013 // Congress will begin writing a new, $500 billion U.S. farm law next week, the head of the Senate Agriculture Committee said on Tuesday, even as calls mounted for deeper cuts in farm subsidies and food stamp spending. The...
N.J. Law Requires Insurers to Provide 1-Page Summary of Homeowners Coverage
May 7 2013 // New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed into law on Monday a bill that aims to help homeowners better understand their insurance policies. The legislation (A3642/S2502) requires homeowners’ insurers to give...
Missouri House OKs Bill Focused on Injured Worker Fund
May 7 2013 // Missouri House members advanced legislation that seeks to replenish an insolvent fund for disabled workers while also preventing people who experience job-related illnesses from filing civil lawsuits. Both elements are...
Tennessee Battles Prescription Drug Abuse
May 7 2013 // The battle against prescription drug abuse in Tennessee is constantly being fought by officers and lawmakers. The Commercial Appeal reported that 79 of the 92 drug-related deaths in Shelby County in 2010 can be attributed...
Montana Enacts Insurance Compact Legislation
May 6 2013 // Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has made Montana the 43rd state to join the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission. Bullock’s state joined the IIPRC upon his signing of Senate Bill 28. The IIPRC is a...
New Law in Maryland Will Require Insurers to Explain ACC Clause to Homeowners
May 6 2013 // Maryland has enacted a new law requiring insurers that write homeowners policies in the state with anti-concurrent causation clauses to explain these clauses to their policyholders on an annual basis. Maryland Gov. Martin...
Judge Declines to Dismiss Emissions Suit Against ExxonMobil
May 6 2013 // A federal judge has declined to throw out a 2010 environmental lawsuit against ExxonMobil Corp. over emissions from its Baytown oil refinery. U.S. District Judge David Hittner in Houston adopted a magistrate’s April...
Florida Lawmakers OK Clearinghouse for Citizens Business; Agents Face Changes
May 6 2013 // Florida lawmakers approved legislation that seeks to slow the growth of the state-backed property insurer by diverting new policies into the private market while largely retaining the status quo for the insurer’s...
Florida PIP Law Injunction Remains in Effect
May 6 2013 // A Florida judge has upheld his temporary injunction partially blocking portions of the state’s automobile no-fault insurance personal injury protection (PIP) law on the basis it infringes on drivers’ access to...
Jimcor’s Mastowski on the Market and the Future of MGAs
May 6 2013 // The incoming president of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) is no newcomer to insurance. He has some 40 years of experience under his belt. Frank Mastowsi founded his family-run managing general...
Ohio Justices: Doctor’s Apology not Evidence of Malpractice
May 6 2013 // Sympathetic statements by a doctor over a patient’s unexpected medical outcome can’t be admitted as evidence in medical malpractice cases filed after the date a law intended to outlaw their use went into effect...
Connecticut Bill Would Report Chatty Drivers to Insurers
May 5 2013 // Frustrated by drivers who ignore Connecticut’s ban on talking and texting on hand-held cellphones, some state legislators want insurance companies to know when their customers break the law. Lawmakers hope the...
Florida Lawmakers Approve Medical Malpractice Reform
May 3 2013 // In a victory for medical malpractice insurers and physicians, Florida lawmakers have approved a series of tort reforms that among other things will require expert witnesses testifying against physicians in a malpractice...
Debate Stalls on Missouri Malpractice Liability Limits Legislation
May 2 2013 // An effort to reinstate Missouri’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits stumbled on April 30 in the state Senate. Senators discussed the legislation for about eight hours and worked into night...
Authorities Aim to Finish Texas Blast Probe by May 10
May 2 2013 // An investigation should be finished within the next two weeks into what caused a massive explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 14 people, state authorities said. Texas State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy told...
Oregon House Passes Immigrant Driver’s Card Bill
May 2 2013 // Tens of thousands of immigrants living in Oregon without legal permission will be able to get four-year driver’s licenses starting Jan. 1 under a bill given final legislative approval by the House on Tuesday. The...
Florida Lawmakers Advance Texting While Driving Bill
May 2 2013 // The Florida House has passed its version of a statewide ban on texting while driving, but the proposal’s fate is uncertain. The House passed the bill (SB 52) on a 110-6 vote Wednesday. It includes an amendment that...
Inquiry Into Texas Blast Plagued by Regulatory Gap
Apr 30 2013 // Federal and state officials investigating the April 17 deadly blast at a Central Texas fertilizer company are trying to determine whether a fire at the plant could have ignited a supply of ammonium nitrate. But how much of...
Trade Group Urges Indiana Governor to Sign Work Comp Bill
Apr 30 2013 // The Indiana General Assembly ended a very productive 2013 legislative session early in the morning on April 27 having passed workers’ compensation reform, legislation permitting the use of electronic devices to show...
Experts Weigh Boston Bombings’ Impact on Government-Backed Terrorism Insurance
Apr 30 2013 // The April 15 Boston bombings could have an impact on the efforts to renew the federal government’s terrorism insurance backstop. Some experts say the Boston Marathon tragedy could help the cause of supporters of the...
