Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Agents, U.S. Chamber Unhappy with Healthcare Reform
Mar 22 2010 // Independent insurance agents are among those today expressing their disappointment with the health care reform bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The House approved the Senate-passed bill and also approved a...
Illinois Supreme Court Rules Against Insurer in Underinsured Motorist Case
Mar 22 2010 // The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that an appellate court was correct when it found that an insurance company cannot exclude occupants of an insured vehicle from underinsured motorists coverage (UIM). The high...
Marsh: Environmental Liability Concerns Top Risk Management Agenda
Mar 19 2010 // “The heightened environmental liabilities created by recent European Union (EU) and UK environmental legislation were among the top risk management concerns raised by delegates at this week’s Base conference in...
Iowa Lawmakers Working on Compromise Texting Ban
Mar 19 2010 // Iowa lawmakers worked March 17 to hammer out differences in two bills restricting drivers from sending or reading text messages. The legislation also would ban all cell phone use by drivers under 18 years old. The House...
Federal Healthcare Reform Triggering Opposition by States
Mar 19 2010 // As the U.S. Congress once again rallies to pass healthcare reform legislation, momentum is growing in many states to pass laws to block the changes — a move that could lead to a legal battle over states’...
P/C Executives to Dodd: Don’t Shift Risky Firms’ Costs to Insurers
Mar 19 2010 // Property/casualty insurance companies, which already pay into state guaranty funds to backup claims of their insolvent peers, don’t want to have to also pay into a federal fund to cover failures of larger and riskier...
Bermuda Concludes Cooperation Agreement with Swiss Regulators
Mar 18 2010 // The Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) has exchanged Letters of Cooperation with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The Letters “formally establish the basis for consultation, cooperation and...
Big EU Insurers Pass Stress Tests
Mar 17 2010 // Europe’s insurers are able to withstand even a major financial crisis, an EU watchdog said on Tuesday, boosting industry hopes for less onerous regulation. EU insurance watchdog CEIOPS, (the Committee of European...
Judge Sets Aside $100 Million Verdict in BP Texas Case
Mar 17 2010 // A federal judge in Texas has set aside a $100 million verdict against BP Plc., saying 10 workers who sued the oil company after they were sickened by a chemical release did not prove BP was grossly negligent. Last December...
Senate Republicans Expected to Change Dodd Financial Reform Bill
Mar 17 2010 // The new financial reform bill introduced in the U.S. Senate will likely be approved at the committee level next week, but its shape could change substantially once it comes before the full Senate and winning Republican...
Report: Calif. Workers’ Comp Insurance Market Still Needs Improvement
Mar 16 2010 // California workers’ compensation claims and disability costs have dropped significantly since the state’s workers’ compensation system was overhauled in 2003 and 2004. Yet “many of the same...
Property/Casualty Insurers Have Issues with Dodd Financial Reform Bill
Mar 16 2010 // Even though they are largely excluded from the federal financial regulatory overhaul proposed in the Senate, property/casualty insurers say there are some elements they fear could negatively affect them and their...
FERMA Concerned about ‘Excessive’ Solvency II Capital Proposals
Mar 15 2010 // A bulletin from the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) notes that while it “supports the goal of the Solvency II European insurance regulatory regime, which is to enhance policyholder...
Senate Reforms Boost Federal Reserve’s Powers Over Non-Banks
Mar 15 2010 // The Federal Reserve would gain new powers over non-bank financial firms and keep much of its authority over banks under a new bill to be unveiled on Monday by the U.S Senate’s architect of financial reform. In a...
Lawmakers Hold Off on Higher Business Tax in Indiana
Mar 15 2010 // Democrats and Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly closed some partisan divides on some major issues, including a proposed increased tax on businesses, early on March 13 and adjourned the 2010 legislative session...
Kansas Democrats File Complaint Against Speaker Over Comp Fund Suit
Mar 15 2010 // Top Democrat lawmakers in Kansas filed a complaint in the Kansas House against its Republican speaker, accusing him of misconduct for representing businesses, trade groups and insurance funds in a lawsuit against the...
Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Emergency Room Tort Reform Law
Mar 15 2010 // The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the state’s 2005 tort reform legislation that limits the liability of emergency room medical care providers. The 4-3 ruling turned aside complaints that the law is...
West Virginia to Create Electronic Auto Insurance Verification System
Mar 15 2010 // West Virginia lawmakers want to give police and the courts an easy way to verify whether a driver has required liability insurance. The House has approved a measure previously backed by the Senate to instruct the Division...
West Virginia Lawmakers Approve Insurance Liens for Cities
Mar 15 2010 // Lawmakers have signed off on allowing West Virginia’s cities and towns to tap insurance proceeds when clearing away buildings destroyed by fire. The Senate has sent Gov. Joe Manchin his proposal to allow...
Poll Finds More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated
Mar 12 2010 // A growing number of Americans, nearly half the country, think global warming worries are exaggerated and more people doubt that scientific warnings of severe environmental fallout will ever occur, according to a new Gallup...
