Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
South Dakota Group Seeks to Strengthen Traffic Safety Laws
Oct 26 2009 // More than a dozen organizations and state Sen. Ben Nesselhuf of Vermillion have formed Safe and Sound South Dakota, a coalition they say is designed to promote traffic safety legislation. In a release, the coalition said...
Florida Judge: $97M Nicaraguan Judgment Against Dole Unenforceable
Oct 23 2009 // Florida judge has said a $97 million judgment against U.S. food giant Dole and Dow Chemical Co. cannot be enforced because the Nicaraguan court that issued it neither had jurisdiction nor met international legal...
California Commissioner Warns Seniors About Agents
Oct 23 2009 // California’s Insurance Commissioner is worried that crooked health insurance agents may target seniors during open enrollment for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Program. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner...
Florida Urged to Hike All Citizens Property Insurance Rates By 10%
Oct 22 2009 // Florida insurance regulators are failing in their duties if they don’t make the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. raise property insurance rates by 10 percent across the board, a business group lobbyist...
House Panel Reshaping Credit Rating Agency Liability Bill
Oct 21 2009 // A U.S. congressional committee has dropped a key provision from a financial reform bill aimed at reducing investor reliance on credit ratings, according to draft legislation released on Tuesday. The provision, first...
Florida to Hear Citizens Property Insurance Rate Hikes of 5% to 10%
Oct 20 2009 // Florida regulatory officials will hold a public hearing Nov. 10 on proposed hikes of between 5 and 10 percent in the premiums charged by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed property insurer. If approved,...
Pinnacol Chief Blasts Colorado State Legislators’ Hearings
Oct 20 2009 // The chief executive of Pinnacol Assurance contends that the interim committee hearings investigating the state workers’ compensation insurer were biased in favor of injured workers. The committee, which was comprised...
California Gets Pay-As-You-Drive
Oct 19 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...
Declarations
Oct 19 2009 // Bigger, Hungrier “Large brokers enjoy certain advantages of scope and scale. At least in theory, their costs are lower, and they are able to provide a broader array of services. But small brokers are the engines of...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Again Studying Ways to Overhaul Worker’s Comp System
Oct 19 2009 // The Oklahoma House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee is considering a major overhaul of that state’s workers’ compensation system. State Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, a committee member...
Mississippi Court Rules Home Policy Covers Hurricane Wind Damage
Oct 19 2009 // In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by water from...
Supreme Court Notebook: Judges as Umpires of Lawyers’ Compensation
Oct 16 2009 // Chief Justice John Roberts once famously and controversially described a judge’s role as akin to an umpire who merely calls balls and strikes. This past Wednesday, Roberts offered a new take on that argument in a...
Michigan Considers Not Prosecuting Underage Drinkers Who Call 911
Oct 16 2009 // Minors in Michigan wouldn’t be prosecuted for underage drinking if they or their friends call 911 for medical assistance under legislation approved this week with backing from state law enforcement and college...
