Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Bus Inspections Get Lax Oversight Despite Crashes
Apr 4 2012 // Months after their state-certified vehicle inspection station was cited by federal authorities for failing to notice defects in a bus that crashed in North Texas, killing 17 passengers, brothers Alam and Cesar Hernandez...
Agents Urge Caution on Changes to Missouri Work Comp Insurer
Apr 4 2012 // Some insurance agents are urging caution as Missouri lawmakers considered changes to a state-created workers’ compensation firm that has been criticized by the state auditor for taking advantage of a federal tax...
North Carolina Vows Crackdown on Workers’ Compensation Scofflaws
Apr 4 2012 // Officials in North Carolina said they will review their efforts to ensure that employers are purchasing workers’ compensation coverage after facing criticism they have done little to make sure that employers comply...
Judge Rules Lowe’s Suit Can Proceed Against Idaho
Apr 3 2012 // A federal judge has ruled in favor of former Idaho Transportation Director Pamela Lowe on a key legal question of her wrongful termination lawsuit against the state. U.S. District Judge Ronald Bush in a decision filed...
Kentucky Tornado Tax Relief Bill Gets Final Passage
Apr 3 2012 // Tornado victims in 21 Kentucky counties that were declared disaster areas by President Obama after the March 2 tornadoes would get a sales tax break on materials they purchase for rebuilding their houses or other...
Judge Weighs Release of Insurance Monies for MF Global Defense
Apr 2 2012 // An MF Global bankruptcy trustee asked a judge on Monday to release $25 million in insurance money to pay defense costs for Jon Corzine and other former MF Global officers facing civil lawsuits over the broker’s...
Missouri Senate Votes to Override Veto on Workers’ Comp
Apr 2 2012 // The Missouri Senate has voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s earlier veto of a bill that would change workers’ compensation laws by barring some lawsuits over workplace injuries. The Republican-controlled...
Mississippi House Sends Workers’ Comp Bill to Senate
Apr 2 2012 // Mississippi House members now favor changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system after previously voting against them. House members voted 60-56 last Thursday to pass Senate Bill 2576, which proponents...
Florida Supreme Court to Decide on Medical Malpractice Caps
Apr 2 2012 // The fate of Florida’s caps on damages in medical malpractice cases now rests with the state’s high court after attorneys on both sides of the issue debated whether the caps are constitutional. The Florida...
Social Privacy
Apr 2 2012 // The Internet changed the way the world works, and the federal government is looking to change the way Internet companies work. Data tracking of consumer online usage is big business for Internet companies selling data to...
Florida Passes Workers’ Comp Changes
Apr 2 2012 // While debates over property insurance and no-fault auto insurance consumed the attention of state officials and the media, Florida lawmakers quietly dealt with several other insurance issues, including workers’...
N.Y. Agency Groups Will Not Appeal Recent Disclosure Ruling
Apr 2 2012 // It looks like the courtroom battle has ended for New York State’s broker compensation disclosure regulation. In March, the New York appeals court agreed with the lower court and said insurance regulators were within...
Risk for Corruption High in South Central States, Report Says
Apr 2 2012 // Although none of the 50 U.S. state governments were found to be exemplary, three out of four South Central states received lackluster rankings in a report evaluating state governments on integrity and the ability to...
Arizona Oks Paperless Option on Insurance Proof
Mar 31 2012 // Arizona motorists will be able to use their smart phones to prove to a police officer that they have insurance for their vehicles. Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law a bill to have Arizona join Idaho in permitting...
Judge Won’t Dismiss Massey Shareholder Suit Over Safety
Mar 30 2012 // A federal judge refused Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit by former Massey Energy shareholders who say they were deliberately misled about the company’s safety record before the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West...
Bill Would Allow Exceptions to South Carolina Liability Cap
Mar 30 2012 // Legislation inspired by the fatal crash of a Spartanburg park train ride last year would allow local governments in South Carolina to choose whether to pay out higher claims than the current state limit of $600,000. The...
Judge Throws Out Investor Lawsuit Against Bank of America Over Mortgages
Mar 30 2012 // Bank of America Corp. on Thursday won dismissal of a lawsuit by investors who wanted the bank to buy back mortgage loans that underlie more than $1.06 billion of securities. The case is tied to risky home loans issued by...
IBM’s Algorithmics, Insurers Analyze Solvency II Compliance Preparation
Mar 30 2012 // Despite delays and complaints the European Union’s Solvency II regulations, which cover the insurance industry, are slowly but surely moving forward. While most of the industry is primarily concerned with the...
Michigan Lawmakers Again OK Motorcycle Helmet Repeal
Mar 29 2012 // Michigan lawmakers are making another attempt at repealing a state law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. The state Senate gave final legislative approval to a repeal of the ban Wednesday by a 24-14 vote. The...
Judge: U. Of Iowa Must Keep Paying Suspended Whistleblower Doc
Mar 29 2012 // A judge has ordered the University of Iowa to pay a suspended radiology professor who hasn’t worked for 14 months while he continues his whistleblower lawsuit. District Judge Patrick Grady on Tuesday restored Malik...
