Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Requirements Drive Need for Surety Bonds
Dec 6 2009 // At least four new surety bonds have hit the market in Texas and Arkansas in the last six months, part of a wave of new bonding requirements nationwide. “This past year has seemed to be especially active statutorily...
Louisiana Lawmakers, Regulators Responding to Chinese Drywall Issues
Dec 6 2009 // The controversy over drywall from China is heating up in Washington and in the Southeastern states most affected by the use of the product following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, including Louisiana. In a letter to...
New Requirements Drive Need for Surety Bonds
Dec 6 2009 // At least four new surety bonds have hit the market in Texas and Arkansas in the last six months, part of a wave of new bonding requirements nationwide. “This past year has seemed to be especially active statutorily...
Federal Judge Holds Corps Responsible in Katrina Flooding Case
Dec 6 2009 // A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ failure to properly maintain and operate the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was a substantial cause for the flooding of part of the...
Declarations
Dec 6 2009 // Firefighting at Night “Nighttime air attack is a standard. … Such action was not taken because the USFS policy prohibits night flying. Would night flying have made a difference? No one can say for sure, but...
Missouri Lawmakers Propose to Ban All Texting-While-Driving
Dec 4 2009 // After Missouri’s youngest drivers were told to quit sending cell phone text messages, lawmakers are going after everybody else. Several lawmakers have filed bills for the 2010 legislative session that starts Jan. 6...
House Extends Estate Tax But Senate Likely to Change
Dec 4 2009 // The U.S. House of Representatives passed a permanent extension of the federal estate tax on Thursday, but the measure, which taxes estates at rate of 45 percent after exempting the first $3.5 million, is likely to be...
‘Fog in Channel’ – The Disconnect between England and France
Dec 4 2009 // The rest of that phrase, from a long ago Times headline, reads “- Continent Cut Off.” It succinctly summarizes the past, present and probably future state of relations between two of Europe’s oldest...
France Tries to Calm Britain’s Angst over Regulation Threats
Dec 3 2009 // France tried to reassure Britain on Thursday that its push for tougher financial regulation in the European Union would not undermine the City of London, saying new rules would not hurt anyone system in...
House Advances Sweeping Overhaul of Financial Services Regulation
Dec 3 2009 // Lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to give government regulators the power to break up financial firms that threaten economic stability, and to expose the Federal Reserve to unprecedented...
UK’s Darling Backs Stronger European Regulation
Dec 2 2009 // The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, backed tougher Europe-wide financial regulation in a Times article on Wednesday, but stressed that the UK’s financial services industry must not be...
American Bar Ass’n. Antitrust Section Approves EU’s Block Exemption Reg
Dec 2 2009 // The Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association has given its view of the European Union’s Block Exemption Regulation (BER). In a notice on its web site (www.abanet.org) the Section said it “appreciates...
Michigan Debate Over Proposed Auto Insurance Changes Heats Up
Dec 2 2009 // Democratic lawmakers in Michigan are promoting proposals they say would make auto insurance more affordable and strengthen consumer protections in the state. Opponents including the insurance industry say the proposals...
House Committee Passes Federal Insurance Office Act
Dec 2 2009 // The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has passed a measure to create a scaled-back federal office that would be a national insurance information agency with some authority in the area of international insurance...
Insurer Trade Group PCI Names Isler Lobbyist for Southeast
Dec 1 2009 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has named Micaela Isler as regional manager, state government relations. Isler will cover the Southeast Atlantic region which includes the District of Columbia,...
Swiss Re Economists See Gradual Recovery; Regulation Concerns
Dec 1 2009 // Swiss Re’s Economic Forum, held today at the reinsurer’s iconic London headquarters, presented a far more encouraging picture of the world’s financial condition than a year ago. However, there may be...
Marsh Signs Deal with UDrive Solutions for Driver, Motor Fleet Products
Nov 30 2009 // Marsh announced that it has reached an agreement with UDrive Solutions to offer its comprehensive range of driver and fleet assurance products on an exclusive basis, to Marsh’s clients, initially in the UK. Marsh...
Auditors to Review Denied Workers’ Comp Claims in North Dakota
Nov 30 2009 // Auditors will take a new look at denied workers’ compensation claims in North Dakota and also will study the laws defining eligibility for certain benefits. The performance audit of Workforce Safety and Insurance...
Oklahoma Lawmaker Objects to Cameras for Auto Insurance Verification
Nov 30 2009 // A state lawmaker in Oklahoma is raising concerns about a plan to beef up the state’s electronic insurance verification system. The plan would involve cameras that would randomly record vehicle tags. But Rep. Mike...
Lawn Mower Is Not a Motor Vehicle, Georgia Court Rules
Nov 25 2009 // A riding lawn mower may have four wheels, a powerful engine and can cost as much as a used car. If it’s stolen, however, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded that it’s not a motor vehicle. The 4-3 decision...
