Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arkansas Insurance Chief to Try Again on Health Insurance Exchange
Jun 29 2011 // Arkansas’ top insurance official said he hopes to win legislative approval next year to begin implementing a key part of the federal health care overhaul. Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford said he plans to...
Texas Windstorm Reform Bill Passes; Sent to Governor
Jun 29 2011 // The Texas Legislature finally worked out a compromise bill of reforms to the state’s insurance provider of last resort for wind and hail for properties along the Texas coast. The House and Senate reached agreement on...
Kentucky Ex-Lawmaker Nunn Pleads Guilty in Insurance Worker Murder
Jun 29 2011 // An attorney for Steve Nunn says the former state lawmaker has pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-fiance and has received a sentence of life without parole. Nunn entered the plea Tuesday morning in Fayette Circuit Court in...
Georgia Law Allows Out-of-State Health Insurance Policies July 1
Jun 29 2011 // State-licensed insurance companies will soon be able to sell health policies offered in other states that provide less coverage than Georgia requires. The new law is one of dozens set to take effect in Georgia on July 1,...
Pennsylvania Governor Signs ‘Fair Share’ Civil Liability Reform
Jun 28 2011 // Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has signed legislation that is one of his top priorities, a bill that limits the liability for negligence of defendants in some civil court cases. The state House voted 116-83 on the bill on...
How Workers’ Compensation Politics Shut Maine Government 20 Years Ago
Jun 28 2011 // The hallways of Maine’s State House were jammed with irate, screaming protesters, and scores of state workers pitched a tent “union city” in a park across the street. The already cool relations between...
MIssissippi Judge Orders Tear Gas Maker Pay $1 Million in Mom’s Death
Jun 28 2011 // A judge has ruled that the maker of tear gas used in a 2006 Jackson police raid must pay $1.1 million to five children of a woman who died after inhaling the fumes. Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd ruled that...
Calif. Homeowners Underinsurance Regs Take Effect, Despite Legal Challenges
Jun 28 2011 // A series of new California homeowners regulations aimed at enhancing the standards and training for estimating the replacement value on homeowners’ insurance in the event of a disaster took effect on June 27....
Rhode Island Senate Passes Seat Belt, Cell Phone Driver Bills
Jun 27 2011 // The Rhode Island Senate has advanced two bills on driver safety, one boosting seat belt enforcement and another banning young drivers from using cell phones while behind the wheel. The cell phone proposal would make it...
Jon Palmquist Joins NARS as General Counsel and Director of Field Operations
Jun 27 2011 // Altamonte Springs, Fl, 6/27/11 – North American Risk Services (NARS) has appointed Jon Palmquist to the newly created role of General Counsel and Director of Field Operations. Palmquist has more than 25 years of...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Seeks Study on Day Care Insurance
Jun 24 2011 // Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Shelton has requested a legislative study to determine if the state can enact policies that result in all day care centers having liability insurance. “In recent years, we have made...
New York Approves Deregulation of Large Commercial Insurance Products
Jun 24 2011 // New York insurers and insurance agents are applauding lawmakers for giving final approval to a bill that eases regulations on commercial insurance products and rates. The bill exempts insurance policies written for large...
House Approves Patent Reform Bill Similar to Senate’s
Jun 24 2011 // Patent legislation that aims to clear a years-long backlog of applications and allows the patent office set its own fees was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. Supporters say the bill will help the...
Generic Drug Firms Shielded from State Suits: Supreme Court
Jun 23 2011 // The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that generic drug companies cannot be sued under state law over allegations that they failed to provide adequate label warnings about potential side effects. By a 5-4 vote, the justices...
Senate Panel to Hear Flood Insurance Reauthorization Bill
Jun 23 2011 // Insurers today will again urged federal lawmakers to reauthorize and reform the nation’s flood insurance program, which is slated to lapse on Sept. 30 if Congress does not act. At a hearing today, a Senate Banking...
Florida Agents’ Leader Grady Cites Progress, Disappointments on Reform
Jun 23 2011 // For those in the industry, Florida’s recent legislative session was a long march as they tried to navigate through a process that initially promised much in the form of a new governor and strong pro-business...
Lawyers Immune to Ex-NFL Player’s Fraud Suit, Connecticut Court Rules
Jun 23 2011 // A state appeals court in Connecticut has ruled that ex-NFL player and investment firm founder Bob Simms can’t sue his ex-wife’s lawyers for fraud during a long-running divorce and alimony case, saying...
New Chief Judge of Delaware Chancery Court Confirmed
Jun 23 2011 // Leo Strine was confirmed Wednesday as the first new chief judge in 14 years on Delaware’s Chancery Court, which has overseen some of the biggest corporate legal battles of the past 30 years. The state’s senate...
Former Association of California Insurance Companies President Joins Barger & Wolen
Jun 22 2011 // Samuel Sorich, the former president of the Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC), a California property/casualty insurance trade association, has joined Barger & Wolen as of counsel. Sorich, who has been...
Mississippi Case Shines Light on Relationships Between Judges, Lawyers
Jun 21 2011 // The corruption case involving Paul Minor and two former Harrison County jurists has changed forever the relationships between Mississippi judges and lawyers, a federal public defender says. “Every judge in...
