Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rhode Island House Approves Texting-while-Driving Ban
Nov 2 2009 // A proposal to ban Rhode Islanders from texting while driving is one step closer to becoming law. The state House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would bar drivers from sending, writing or reading a...
Oregon Bans Cell Phones in the Car
Nov 2 2009 // As of Jan. 1, you can get slapped with a $90 fine if you use a hand-held cell phone while driving in Oregon. Will that be enough to encourage motorists to keep their full attention on the road? And how well can the law be...
Montana Commissioner Named to Federal Committee
Nov 2 2009 // Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica J. Lindeen has been appointed to the North American Securities Administrators Association’s (NASAA) Federal Legislation Committee, a key committee as Congress...
Tennessee Hears Calls for Safety Oversight As ATV Death Toll Rises
Nov 1 2009 // An East Tennessee teenager’s October death in an all terrain vehicle accident brought the state’s 2009 death toll in ATV wrecks to eight, and a national consumer safety spokeswoman said the national death toll...
Calif. Lawmaker Won’t Cede Health Policy Rescissions Fight
Nov 1 2009 // A California assemblyman said he’ll try a third time to get strict measures on when health insurance companies can cancel policies approved into law. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill backed by Assemblyman...
California Gives Insurers Green Light for Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Policies
Nov 1 2009 // Californians will soon be able to purchase pay-as-you-drive automobile insurance, as the final regulations have been approved. The regulations regarding pay-as-you-drive, which was originally proposed by state Insurance...
Colorado’s Workers’ Comp Fund Pinnacol: Swagger and Success Invite Scrutiny
Nov 1 2009 // If there is one thing that Colorado’s quasi-public workers compensation provider, Pinnacol Assurance, has not been accused of being, it is being timid. When the state government tried early this year to tap the...
Legislation, Litigation: Double Whammy for Employers’ Liability
Nov 1 2009 // New Laws on Genetic Information, Data Breaches, Pay Discrimination Increase Employers’ Exposure New legislation has often brought new exposures to employers. This is also true of litigation. As 2009 proceeds, there...
Bermuda Monetary Authority Reviews UK’s Offshore Financial Center Report
Oct 30 2009 // The Bermuda Monetary Authority has reacted favorably to recommendations listed in the recently published “Foot Report,” which examines the role of offshore British financial centers, and their relation to the...
Campaign Donations Don’t Require Recusals, Wisconsin High Court Rules
Oct 30 2009 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted rules Wednesday allowing judges to hear cases involving their biggest campaign contributors, siding with business interests and rejecting calls for reform. Voting 4-3, the court approved...
New York Signs Regulatory Agreement with El Salvador
Oct 30 2009 // The New York Insurance Department has signed a cooperation agreement with its counterpart in El Salvador, the latest in a string of similar agreements with insurance regulators in foreign countries. The agreement calls for...
California to Update Workers Compensation Regulations
Oct 30 2009 // California’s Department of Industrial Relations has proposed an update to regulations for the Workers’ Compensation Information System. The update is part of the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s...
Alabama Attorney’s Suit Against Scruggs Assigned to Judge in Texas
Oct 28 2009 // A federal judge in Texas has been assigned to preside over an Alabama attorney’s lawsuit that alleges imprisoned attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs and several others conspired to defraud him of millions...
Financial Regulation Bill Unveiled; National Insurance Office Put Off
Oct 28 2009 // The Obama administration made gains Tuesday in its push for U.S. financial reform, unveiling a landmark bill to tackle systemic risk in the economy and winning congressional committee approval for a measure to expose hedge...
Minnesota Judge Rules Federal Law Blocks Medtronic Heart Device Suits
Oct 28 2009 // A Minnesota state court judge has dismissed a batch of lawsuits against Medtronic Inc. stemming from the October 2007 recall of the medical device maker’s Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads. Minnesota District Court...
Sheffield to Tout Regulatory Role in Georgia Insurance Commissioner Race
Oct 28 2009 // Attorney Maria Sheffield has become the latest candidate to enter the Republican primary to be the next insurance commissioner in Georgia. She is one of several candidates hoping to succeed current Insurance Commissioner...
U.S. Insurance Commissioners Host 13 International Regulatory Interns
Oct 28 2009 // The organization of state insurance commissioners welcomed 13 interns from Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Zambia to the U.S. this week. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has...
House Panel Advances Bill on Credit Rating Agency Liability
Oct 28 2009 // Credit rating agencies would be more tightly regulated and more exposed to lawsuits under legislation approved Wednesday by the U.S. House Financial Services Committee. In another procedural step forward for the Obama...
Connecticut Judge: Killer’s Insurance Company not Liable
Oct 28 2009 // A Connecticut judge has ruled that the insurance company for a former Fairfield lawyer who killed his neighbor in 2006 won’t be responsible for any damages that could be awarded in a lawsuit filed by the...
Experts Say Antitrust Repeal Unlikely to Spur Health Insurance Competition
Oct 26 2009 // Democratic lawmakers are seeking to stir up competition by stripping health insurers of their protection from certain federal antitrust laws, although experts shrug off the effort as largely symbolic. Speaker Nancy Pelosi...
