Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Nationwide Insurance Pushes to Include Flood Coverage in Home Policies
Jun 27 2008 // One of the nation’s largest insurance companies is lobbying Congress for permission to sell policies that cover damage from both wind and flood water, a plan billed as a way for insurers and homeowners to avoid...
North Carolina Lawmakers Consider Restricting Pickup Bed Riding
Jun 26 2008 // A North Carolina House judiciary committee approved a plan to further restrict riding in open pickup truck beds. House Bill 2340 prohibits anyone under age 16 from riding in the flatbed of a pickup truck. Current law...
Judge’s Ruling Clears Way for Insurance Settlements in Louisiana
Jun 26 2008 // A ruling by a federal judge in New Orleans has cleared the way for thousands of Louisiana Road Home applicants to settle claims against their insurance companies, a lawyer for hundreds of homeowners said. An order issued...
Insurers and Agents Applaud New York Auto Rating Change
Jun 26 2008 // Trade groups for New York insurers and agents alike are praising a recently passed bill by state lawmakers that will allow auto insurers to raise or lower their rates by 5 percent over the course of a year without first...
Supreme Court Rules $2.5 Billion Exxon-Valdez Damages Excessive
Jun 25 2008 // The Supreme Court Wednesday overturned the record $2.5 billion in punitive damages that Exxon Mobil Corp had been ordered to pay for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. The nation’s highest court ruled that...
Lawmakers OK Louisiana Workforce Bill
Jun 25 2008 // A bill backed by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal that aims to reform the state’s workforce development system won final legislative approval, the Louisiana Department of Labor announced. The bill, HB 1104, requires the...
Alabama Judge Upholds Fraud Verdict against AstraZeneca, Trims Judgment
Jun 24 2008 // An Alabama judge upheld the fraud verdict that the state won against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP in a Medicaid drug pricing suit, but ruled the punitive damages were too high, trimming the total judgment to $160...
Sunset Commission to Hear Input on Texas Department of Insurance Review
Jun 24 2008 // The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission is holding a public hearing June 24 and 25 to gather comments on the Sunset Commissioner Staff Report recommendations on the continuing governance of the Texas Department of Insurance...
Nursing Homes Battle to Retain Mandatory Arbitration Clauses
Jun 23 2008 // U.S. nursing homes are pushing against an effort in Congress to invalidate arbitration clauses in admissions contracts, a change that would make it easier for residents to sue for shoddy care or wrongdoing. A spokeswoman...
California Considering Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance
Jun 23 2008 // California’s Department of Insurance is hosting a workshop at 10 a.m., Monday, June 23, 2008, to solicit input on bringing “pay-as-you-drive” automobile insurance to the state. According to the DOI,...
Judge Dismissed Mississippi Pastor’s $200M Countersuit in Sex Case
Jun 20 2008 // After a woman filed a $10 million lawsuit claiming she was sexually assaulted by the Rev. Jeffery Stallworth, the Jackson, Miss. pastor turned around and sued her for $200 million. Hinds County Circuit Judge William...
California Senate Approves Agent-Broker, Spyware Bills
Jun 20 2008 // California’s Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee approved two bills — one allowing insurance cmpanies to require spyware to be installed in vehicles, and the other clarifying the duties of an agent...
Delaware House Approves Bill to Release Cancer Data
Jun 20 2008 // Delware lawmakers on Tuesday blasted Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s administration for withholding cancer data from the public, unanimously passing a bill directing state officials to provide more information. Cancer...
Judge Approves $11M Settlement in Virginia Tech Shootings
Jun 20 2008 // A Virginia judge on Tuesday approved an $11 million state settlement with families of most of the victims in last year’s Virginia Tech slayings that will avoid a court battle over whether anyone but the gunman was to...
Tennessee Implements Scrap Metal Theft Prevention Program
Jun 19 2008 // Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie Newman named the members that will serve on an advisory committee for the department’s scrap metals registration program. The advisory committee is...
Iowa Governor Says Special Legislative Flood Session Very LIkely
Jun 19 2008 // Iowa lawmakers are making arrangements for a near-certain special session to address flooding damage across the state, and some say an increase in the state’s gas tax may be on the table. Senate Majority Leader...
PCI Hires Gordon as Senior VP of Policy Development and Research
Jun 19 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America hired Robert Gordon as the organization’s senior vice president of policy development and research. Gordon most recently served as the parliamentarian, senior...
$120 Million Judgement Against a Refinery Reinstated by Illinois Court
Jun 18 2008 // An Illinois appellate court has reinstated a $120 million judgment against owners of the former Clark Oil refinery, reversing a Cook County judge’s decision to dissolve the class-action suit after a verdict was...
Trade Group Names Senior Vice President, Policy Development
Jun 18 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) announced today that Robert Gordon will serve as the organization’s senior vice president of policy development and research. David A. Sampson, president...
California Senate Considers Agent-Broker Bill, Consumer Group Challenges Legislation
Jun 17 2008 // Three pieces of legislation will be heard in the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance committee on Wednesday, June 17, 2008. Assemblyman Jared Huffman’s AB 2800 would allow insurance companies to require drivers to...
