Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Obama Administration Appeals Florida Judge’s Healthcare Ruling
Mar 8 2011 // The Obama administration Tuesday appealed a U.S. judge’s ruling in Florida that struck down its landmark healthcare overhaul law as unconstitutional because it required Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a...
Florida Lawmakers Aim to Shrink State Insurer Citizens
Mar 8 2011 // Florida lawmakers are looking to cut the state’s largest property insurer down in size. The plan is to reduce the number of properties insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. by allowing it to raise its rates by...
How California Bill Implements Federal NRRA Surplus Lines Reform
Mar 8 2011 // The Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), Subtitle B, Part I, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, reaches out and touches California on July 21, 2011. In anticipation of its effective date,...
Reducing Car Crashes One Reason to Thin Deer Herd in Indiana
Mar 8 2011 // One in 140 drivers in Indiana is likely to a hit a deer this year. That’s the statistic the State Farm insurance agency formulated last year when it studied the number of deer-vehicle collisions across the...
Republican Flood Insurance Bill Gets Positive Initial Reception
Mar 8 2011 // A Republican draft of legislation to reform the federal flood insurance program would renew the program for five years, phase out most rate subsidies, tie coverage limits to the rate of inflation, vary the deductible by...
Pennsylvania Ponders Election for Insurance Commissioner
Mar 8 2011 // A bill that would make the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner an elected position has been introduced in the state’s House of Representatives. Legislation sponsored by Rep Neal Goodman, a Democrat from Mahanoy City,...
Judge Won’t Order Additional Damages Against Exxon for Valdez Spill
Mar 8 2011 // A federal judge has refused to order Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay an additional $92 million sought by the U.S. government and state of Alaska to address lingering damage from the 1989 oil spill in Prince William Sound. U.S....
U.S. Judge Halts Ecuador Damages Enforcement Against Chevron
Mar 8 2011 // A U.S. judge Monday halted enforcement of an $18 billion award against Chevron Corp, siding with the oil company against Ecuadorean plaintiffs in a long-running dispute over Amazon rain forest pollution. The move comes...
Best’s Special Report Analyzes EU’s Solvency II Impact on Ratings
Mar 8 2011 // A report from A.M. Best Co. provides a timely analysis of the fast approaching implementation of the European Commission’s long-awaited Solvency II insurance regulations, which are now scheduled to come into force as...
People
Mar 7 2011 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America named Jeffrey Junkas regional manager, state government relations. Junkas brings to PCI 15 years of public affairs experience, including six in the property/casualty...
Missouri House Votes to Change Workplace Discrimination Laws
Mar 7 2011 // The Missouri House passed legislation that could make it more difficult for employees to win workplace discrimination lawsuits. The legislation, approved by a 95-59 vote, would require people to prove that discrimination...
Florida’s E&S Brokers: Doing Business in a World Gone Flat
Mar 7 2011 // Brokers Hoping Improving Economy, Changes in Tallahassee, Rate Deregulation Will Bring Some Relief The numbers alone tell the story. According to the Florida Surplus Lines Office, the total surplus lines premiums written...
PCI Opposes Legislation to Ban Use of Insurance Scores in Nevada
Mar 7 2011 // Proposed legislation to prohibit insurers from considering a consumer’s credit history would take away discounted rates for the majority of Nevada policyholders, according to the Property Casualty Insurers...
Bill Banning Texting While Driving Advances in Oklahoma
Mar 7 2011 // Under legislation approved by a House committee, beginner drivers could face hefty fines and possibly lose their driving privileges if caught texting while driving. Rep. Danny Morgan’s measure, House Bill 1316, will...
Supreme Court Ruling Shields Vaccine Makers from Suits
Mar 7 2011 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case originating in Pennsylvania that federal law shields vaccine makers from product liability lawsuits in state court seeking damages for a child’s injuries or death from a...
Pennsylvania Considers Tort Reform, Again
Mar 7 2011 // Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again eyeing a tort reform package — a resurrection of the “Fair Share” act — that many in the insurance industry say would rein in what critics say is a legal system abused...
Connecticut Court Rules Man Charged in Arson May Sue Insurer
Mar 7 2011 // A Connecticut man charged with burning down his beach home hours before he was supposed to give it to his estranged wife may sue the home’s insurer for emotional distress, the state Appellate Court has ruled. Richard...
Model Bill Targets Misclassification of Trucking, Courier Workers
Mar 7 2011 // State lawmakers who deal with insurance issues have approved a model law for the trucking and courier industries that sets guidelines for who is an independent contractor and who is an employee. The National Conference of...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Litigation Costs Too High, Lawmaker Says
Mar 7 2011 // The amount the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has paid out in litigation costs as a result of lawsuits stemming from Hurricane Ike claims is far too high, said one Texas lawmaker who’s working on...
NAIC, EU Regulators Hold Meeting on International Insurance Regulation
Mar 7 2011 // As business becomes more globalized, the financial services industry, including insurance, has recognized the need to keep up with the changing times. Both U.S and European Union regulators have therefore embarked on...
