Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Judge Stops 2-year System Employee Plan
Oct 3 2008 // A Montgomery, Ala. circuit court judge barred the two-year college system from changing the classification of 140 employees in a way that would remove their tenure benefits. Post-secondary officials sought to move the...
President Bush Signs $700 Billion Wall Street Bailout Bill
Oct 3 2008 // The House of Representatives voted 263-171 to pass a $700 billion Wall Street rescue bill and sent it to President Bush, who signed it into law this afternoon. The Senate passed the measure earlier this week. The House had...
New York Judge: Nibble on Cinema Popcorn at Own Risk
Oct 2 2008 // Movie munchers beware! A New York judge says popcorn purchasers worried about breaking a tooth on unpopped kernels should nibble carefully — or eat something else. Insurance broker Steve Kaplan says he encountered a...
California Governor Vetoes Workers’ Comp Legislation
Oct 2 2008 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed three bills he said would have interfered with the state’s workers’ compensation system. SB 1115 Permanent Disability Apportionment would have prohibited...
Pennsylvania Ex-Judge Spent Insurance Money on House, Hot Tub
Oct 1 2008 // Federal prosecutors say retired Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce spent $440,000 in insurance money on a new house, hot tub, motorcycle, jewelry and cosmetic surgery for a woman he has since married. Joyce is...
New York Signs Regulatory Pact with Bermuda
Sep 30 2008 // Insurance regulators in New York and Bermuda have signed an agreement that calls for closer cooperation between the two agencies in overseeing insurance matters. New York State Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo and...
President Bush Urges Congress to Act After Bailout Bill Failure
Sep 30 2008 // President Bush Tuesday said the U.S. economy was depending on decisive action from the government on a financial bailout plan or the economic damage could be “painful and lasting.” “I assure our citizens...
Michigan Doctors Back Bills to Report Unfit Drivers
Sep 29 2008 // Dr. Paul Cullis of Michigan says most patients who have had seizures or blackouts get the message loud and clear: Don’t drive for six months. But some get behind the wheel anyway, not waiting to see if their...
Consumer Groups Urge California to Approve Auto Repair Fraud Legislation
Sep 29 2008 // The Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Action and Consumers Union are united in urging California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign Assembly Bill AB 2825, designed to protect motorists from auto body repair fraud. The...
House Rejects Wall Street Bailout in Surprise 228-205 Vote
Sep 29 2008 // U.S. lawmakers rejected a $700 billion bailout plan for the financial industry in a shock vote that sent global markets sliding as the world credit crisis claimed more banks. By a vote of 228-to-205 the House rejected a...
President Bush: Bailout Helps Protect Economy from Breakdown
Sep 28 2008 // President Bush said Sunday the $700 billion financial bailout being finalized by Congress would help protect the U.S. economy from a “system-wide breakdown” and expressed confidence it would be approved...
California Approves Legislation To Transform Workers’ Comp Insurer
Sep 26 2008 // Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation to help transform the Golden State’s workers’ compensation insurer, the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Assembly Bill 1874 and Senate Bill 1145 are an...
N. D. Candidate for Commissioner Proposes “Revolving Door” Law
Sep 26 2008 // A lawmaker and Democratic candidate for North Dakota insurance commissioner says a commissioner should not be focusing on another job in the industry while holding office. Rep. Jasper Schneider, D-Fargo, is proposing to...
Lawmakers to Tackle Wall Street Bailout Plan Again Today
Sep 26 2008 // U.S. congressional leaders will try again on Friday to save a $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan after talks broke down in acrimony against the backdrop of the nation’s biggest-ever bank failure. As negotiations...
State Regulators Blast Federal Regulation Advocates Over AIG
Sep 26 2008 // State insurance commissioners have lashed out at members of Congress who are blaming state regulation for the problems of American International Group (AIG) and using the AIG crisis to bolster their advocacy for federal...
Judge Sides with Polluted Kansas Town Over Big Oil
Sep 25 2008 // After three days of deliberation in one of the longest jury trials ever held in Kansas, a jury in January left residents in a southeast city stunned. The panel had decided that the city of Neodesha was not entitled to...
Mich. Agents: AIG Rescue, Insurance Regulation Still Best Left to States
Sep 24 2008 // The following commentary on the push for federal regulation as a result of AIG and other financial institutions’ troubles was written by Robert PIerce, CEO, Michigan Association of Insurance Agents. Over the last few...
Retried New York Lawmaker Gets $140K Insurance Post
Sep 24 2008 // A former assemblyman from Queens has been hired to a newly created $140,000-a-year state job — in spite of the governor’s own orders putting a freeze on hiring. The Daily News reports that retired Assemblyman...
PCI Tells U.S. Trade Commission China Insurance Link Important
Sep 24 2008 // In testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) stressed the “importance of the U.S.-China insurance trade relationship.” The PCI also...
Paulson, Bernanke to Go Before Congress Today on Bailout
Sep 23 2008 // U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday urged Congress to act swiftly on a proposed financial system bailout and warned of dire consequences if they delay. In prepared...
