Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mass. Court Rules on Joint Employment Under Workers’ Comp
Sep 19 2011 // Two employers can be held jointly responsible for workers’ compensation benefits for an injured worker whom they both classified as an independent contractor, a Massachusetts court has ruled. The Massachusetts...
N.Y. Agents Appeal Compensation Disclosure Ruling
Sep 19 2011 // Two agent groups in New York have filed a formal appeal of a trial court ruling that upheld a controversial state regulation requiring insurance producers to disclose their compensation. The Independent Insurance Agents...
Judge in Louisiana Won’t Stop State Health Insurance Contracts
Sep 16 2011 // A Baton Rouge, La., judge has refused to block the state from signing contracts with three private insurance companies chosen to take part in Louisiana’s new health-care delivery system for the poor. In a separate...
Business Lobby Looks to Soften Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Sep 16 2011 // The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has put reshaping a U.S. anti-bribery law near the top of its legislative wish list, setting up a battle pitting the powerful business lobby group against supporters of the statute who say it...
Florida’s Citizens Faces Critics at Public Hearing Over Sinkhole Rates
Sep 14 2011 // Florida homeowners came by the hundreds in cars and buses to speak out against the state-backed property insurer’s plan to increase sinkhole rates by an average 429 percent. At an unprecedented public hearing in...
Illinois Lawmakers on Exchange Panel Get Insurance Funds
Sep 14 2011 // The insurance industry is handing out cash to lawmakers who will play pivotal roles in setting up Illinois’ health-benefits exchange. The exchange is supposed to make health insurance more affordable for consumers...
Judge Weighs Family’s Wrongful Death Claim Against U of Mississippi Football
Sep 14 2011 // A Hinds County judge says he will rule soon on a motion by the University of Mississippi to move a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a former Ole Miss football player to Lafayette County. Arguments were heard...
U.S. Report on BP Oil Spill Imminent
Sep 14 2011 // A U.S. government team investigating last year’s massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill will blame BP and its contractors for mistakes that led to the disaster in a report expected out as early as Wednesday, according to...
Federal Judge Rejects Health Insurance Mandate in Latest Case
Sep 14 2011 // A federal judge in Pennsylvania said the insurance-buying mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional, the latest ruling over an issue likely to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme...
Keep Properties Open, Lawmakers Urge New Hampshire Landowners
Sep 13 2011 // New Hampshire lawmakers are urging nervous landowners to leave their properties open to recreation while they work to improve their liability protections. State Rep. Gene Chandler, a Bartlett Republican, and state Sen....
Michigan Begins Debate Over Personal Injury Auto Insurance Benefits
Sep 12 2011 // The state Legislature is preparing to begin debate on possible changes to Michigan’s unique auto insurance coverage for people injured in accidents. Michigan now is the only state in the nation that mandates...
Judge Orders Insurers to Pay in Delaware Diocese Bankruptcy
Sep 12 2011 // A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Friday ordered insurance companies to pay their share of a settlement with priest sex abuse victims that is the foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington’s reorganization plan,...
Senate Committee Passes Federal Flood Insurance Reform Legislation
Sep 8 2011 // As many property owners continue to recover from hurricane and tropical storms Irene and Lee and new storms form offshore, the U.S. Senate is taking steps to renew the federal flood insurance program. Today, the Senate...
Mass. Court Rules on Joint Employers’ Responsibilty for Workers’ Comp
Sep 8 2011 // Two employers can be held jointly responsible for workers’ compensation benefits for an injured worker whom they both classified as an independent contractor, a Massachusetts appeals court has ruled. The...
White House Requests $5.2B in New Disaster Funds
Sep 7 2011 // The White House told Congress last week there’s a need for more than $5 billion in additional disaster relief money, not even counting the billions that probably will be called for to help East Coast states hit by...
Washington Court Rules in Single-Car, Underinsured Motorist Case
Sep 5 2011 // A Washington State couple has lost their appeal of a ruling that allowed Farmers Insurance to deny their uninsured motorist claim following a single-car accident, which they said was caused by another driver who...
Pinnacol Stops Administering Colorado State Claims
Sep 5 2011 // A Colorado-chartered workers’ compensation insurer will no longer administer the claims of state employees following disagreements with state officials over lavish trips, compensation and golden parachutes for...
Legislative Changes Aim to Limit Texas Windstorm Lawsuits
Sep 5 2011 // Legislative changes to the operation of Texas’ primary property insurer in coastal areas that go into effect Sept. 28, 2011, include an increased focus on mediation and arbitration of disputed windstorm claims and a...
California Supreme Court Rules on Workers’ Compensation Payment Increases
Sep 5 2011 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that cost of living adjustments in total permanent disability cases are to be calculated starting the Jan. 1 after the injured worker started collecting his or her payments. The...
Contractors Acting As Public Insurance Adjusters Irk States
Sep 5 2011 // Public adjusting activity is not welcome or licensed in all states and even in some where it is, the practice is coming under close scrutiny. In particular, states are cracking down on roofing and other contractors who...
