Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Calif. High Court Rules Employers Can Fire Workers Using Medical Marijuana
Jan 28 2008 // Employers can fire workers found to have used medical marijuana even if it was legally prescribed, the California Supreme Court ruled last Thursday, dealing the state another setback in its standoff with U.S. law...
N.J. Eases Investment Rules for Carriers
Jan 27 2008 // Garden State lawmakers recently approved rules that give insurance companies greater flexibility in their investments. Signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine earlier this month, the new law allows domestic property and casualty...
Okla. Lawmakers Return Donations Linked to Convicted Former Commissioner
Jan 27 2008 // Three Oklahoma state representatives, all Republicans, say they are returning campaign contributions given to them by the son of a man linked to convicted former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher. Reps. Jeff...
Judge Sanctions Texas Mutual, Company to Appeal Decision
Jan 27 2008 // The judge’s “sanctions order is simply wrong. Texas Mutual did not falsify any documents, did not deceive the court, and did not take any improper actions to gain an advantage.” Texas Mutual Insurance...
State Officials Not Sold on New License Rules Under Real ID Act of 2005
Jan 27 2008 // States have five more years to verify identity, reissue licenses; even so some states continue to refuse compliance State officials and some in Congress remain skeptical about new federal rules for driver’s licenses,...
European Risk Managers, Industry Face New and Not so New Challenges
Jan 27 2008 // FERMA conference highlights growing importance of risk management in complex global business environment The insurance industry’s “traditional model” has become outdated and is so abstruse that the...
The Pressure’s On
Jan 27 2008 // Washington State’s Kreidler believes now’s the time for the industry to face climate change Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has proven adept at balancing the many demands placed upon state...
Democrats Blast FDA Labeling Rule as Product Liability Shield for Drug Makers
Jan 25 2008 // The Bush administration wants to limit the situations where drug companies can change warning labels when they know of unsafe conditions without waiting for government approval. But Democrats charge that the recent...
Ala. Lawmaker’s Son One of Two Arrested in Arson Cases
Jan 25 2008 // The son of an Alabama legislator is one of two men charged with arson and attempted burglary in what Cullman County authorities say is an investigation of suspicious fires in the Hanceville, Ala., area. Jerrod Heath Fite,...
Fla. Insurance Regulator Files to Reinstate Allstate Suspension
Jan 24 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation filed its response with the First District Court of Appeal seeking to have a suspension of the Allstate Companies’ certificates of authority reinstated. The 12-page response...
Bills Filed in Okla. to Reduce Smoking, Protect Minors From Smoke
Jan 24 2008 // Oklahoma legislators seem to have smoking on their minds. Recently filed bills aimed at smoking issues would require the sales of “fire safe” cigarettes, require insurance companies to provide coverage for...
House Passes Flood Insurance Reform Legislation
Jan 24 2008 // The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3959, sponsored by Financial Services Committee Chairman, Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), legislation that would gradually phase-out some of the subsidies...
Calif. Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Some Risky Mortgages
Jan 24 2008 // A California legislator on Wednesday introduced a lending-regulation bill that seeks to mandate the obvious — that people who want to buy a home can actually afford the mortgage, property taxes and insurance. The...
N.Y. Panel Urges London-Style Financial Services Regulation
Jan 23 2008 // A commission helping redraft the regulatory framework for New York’s finance industry is considering placing greater emphasis on “principles” than on strictly defined rules, Gov. Eliot Spitzer...
Arkansas Wants More Time to Comply with REAL ID Law
Jan 23 2008 // Arkansas officials have asked for more time to implement post-Sept. 11 rules for new driver’s licenses. States face a May 11 deadline to comply with the REAL ID regulations, but Arkansas has requested a...
Vermont Captive Insurance Leader Crouse to Retire
Jan 22 2008 // Leonard Crouse, Vermont deputy commissioner of Captive Insurance and a fixture in the state’s captive insurance industry for 18 years, has announced his plans to retire effective June 1. For more than 30 years Crouse...
New York Increasing Efforts to Attract More Muni-Bond Insurers
Jan 22 2008 // The victory scored last month when the Empire State enticed Berkshire Hathaway to begin writing municipal bond insurance in New York is part of a larger strategy to help stabilize the faltering market for that coverage,...
Utah Lawmakers Consider Revoking Driving Privilege Cards
Jan 22 2008 // Utah lawmakers may consider restricting or revoking driving privilege cards for undocumented immigrants when the 2008 Legislature convenes this week. Created in 2005, the cards allow immigrants to drive legally —...
Miss. Judge Removes Himself from Cases Amid Federal Probe
Jan 21 2008 // A Mississippi judge says he disqualified himself from hearing several lawsuits because federal authorities were investigating allegations that powerful plaintiffs attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs tried to...
Three Okla. Lawmakers Return Donations Linked to Former Commissioner Scandal
Jan 18 2008 // Three Oklahoma state representatives, all Republicans, say they are returning campaign contributions given to them by the son of a man linked to convicted former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher. Reps. Jeff...
