Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Approves 10.8% Rate Hike for Citizens; Also 21.4% for Sinkholes
Oct 4 2012 // Florida regulators have approved a 10.8 percent statewide average homeowners insurance rate increase and a 21.4 percent increase in sinkhole rates for the state-backed property insurer. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty...
Judge Shuts Down Christian Health Ministry Medi-Share in Kentucky
Oct 4 2012 // A Christians-only health care ministry must cease operations in Kentucky unless it can get regulatory approval from the state Department of Insurance, a judge ruled this week. The ruling by Franklin County Circuit Judge...
A Look at Some New Laws Taking Effect in Maryland
Oct 2 2012 // Here is a glance at some of the new laws that went into effect in Maryland October 1: CHEMOTHERAPY PARITY Health insurance companies will have to level the playing field for out-of-pocket patient expenses for oral...
WTO Director Lamy Says Doha Round Rescue in US, China’s Hands
Oct 2 2012 // World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy on Monday acknowledged the Geneva-based grouping has been a “disappointing” forum for trade liberalization but placed the blame for moribund world trade...
Florida Insurers’ Filings on PIP Rates Due Today
Oct 1 2012 // Automobile insurers have until today to show Florida regulators how much, if at all, they plan on reducing rates on the personal injury protection, or no-fault, portion of drivers’ policies. This could mean that...
Calif.’s Brown Record ‘Solid’ on Insurance Legislation
Sep 28 2012 // Gov. Jerry Brown saw over a dozen bills related in some way to insurance come across his desk, with a bill to approve driverless cars, a bill to overhaul California’s workers’ compensation system among...
South Dakota Will Not Run its Own Health Insurance Exchange
Sep 28 2012 // South Dakota will not set up its own health insurance exchange, instead deferring to the federal government to operate and pay for a key component required by the federal health care overhaul, Gov. Dennis Daugaard...
Rental Firms Agree Not to Rent Recalled Cars
Sep 28 2012 // Leading U.S. car rental companies have agreed to back Senate legislation to pull vehicles from the road when recalled for safety defects, lawmakers and the firms said on Thursday. The legislation brings car rental...
‘We’re an Attractive Place to do Business:’ Lloyds CEO Richard Ward
Sep 26 2012 // Following Lloyd’s release of its composite results for the first six months of 2012 – a £1.53 billion [$2.4 billion] profit – Lloyd’s chief executive Richard Ward was understandably pleased. In a telephone...
Best Reports on MENA Insurance Market; Regulatory Change Coming
Sep 26 2012 // A report from A.M. Best examines the current state of the insurance market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It notes that “over the past decade, the insurance industry has experienced strong growth...
Massachusetts Court Rules on Scope of Independent Contractor Exclusion
Sep 25 2012 // A Massachusetts court recently ruled in favor of insurer Lloyd’s in a dispute over a commercial property and general liability policy excluding coverage for independent contractors. The insured, a property...
White House Readies Executive Order on Cybersecurity
Sep 25 2012 // The White House is preparing to direct federal agencies to develop voluntary cybersecurity guidelines for owners of power, water and other critical infrastructure facilities, according to people who said they had seen...
Alabama Law on Car Locking Devices in DUI Cases Goes Into Effect
Sep 24 2012 // A new law requires that some people convicted of drunken driving install devices that prevent them from starting their vehicles if they have been drinking alcohol. The new law took effect Sept. 1 and requires the devices...
Judge Lets Wal-Mart Discrimination Case Proceed
Sep 24 2012 // A U.S. judge rejected Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s request to dismiss a gender discrimination case filed in California, but said he would rule later about whether the women plaintiffs had enough evidence to be certified as...
China Eases Access to Insurance, Travel industries
Sep 24 2012 // China has eased restrictions on foreign companies in parts of its insurance, travel and delivery industries in a possible effort to reverse a slide in investment from abroad, an American business group said Friday. Some of...
Judges Tout Wikipedia in ‘Jet Ski’ Exclusion Ambiguity
Sep 24 2012 // A Utah Court of Appeals ruled the term “jet ski” to be ambiguous as an exclusion in a homeowners’ policy, and to back up its decision the court used as a reference the popular reference website Wikipedia,...
Workers’ Comp Changes Go Into Effect in Mississippi
Sep 24 2012 // Insurers and employers in Mississippi now have greater latitude to conduct alcohol and drug tests on employees following a workplace accident and to reduce benefits for workers with pre-existing conditions. Under new...
New National Parks’ Insurance Requirements Ignite Controversy
Sep 24 2012 // A National Parks Service (NPS) decision to hike their required insurance liability limits by 1,000 percent has some outfitters and guides, as well as their insurance providers, navigating the halls of Congress. The battle...
3 States Join Lawsuit Challenging Dodd-Frank Law
Sep 23 2012 // Three U.S. states have joined a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that overhauled U.S. financial oversight and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The attorneys general...
Facebook IPO Lawsuits Likely to Be Heard by New York Judge
Sep 21 2012 // Facebook Inc. and most of its adversaries in a raft of lawsuits over its $16 billion initial public offering can agree on at least one thing: that the cases should be heard in a New York court. At a hearing on Thursday,...
