Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Neighbors Seek to Drain N.Y. City’s Water Reservoirs to Stem Flooding
Apr 20 2007 // Ten lawmakers want to drain off some of the massive reservoirs holding New York City drinking water, claiming lower water levels will help prevent flooding in riverside communities. House lawmakers from Pennsylvania, New...
U.S. House Passes Bill Granting Shareholders Vote on Executive Pay
Apr 20 2007 // The U.S House of Representatives today passed by a vote of 269 to134 legislation to allow shareholders of public companies to approve or disapprove of a company’s executive compensation plans. H.R. 1257, the...
Calif. Office of Administrative Law Repeals DOI Agent/Broker “Precedential Decision”
Apr 19 2007 // The California Department of Insurance (CDI) has been handed a procedural setback in its effort to crack down on agents charging broker fees. This week, the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) determined that...
N.H. Motorists Could Save if State Adopts Seat Belt Law
Apr 18 2007 // A mandatory seatbelt law could do more than save drivers’ lives. It could save them money. When House lawmakers recently passed a seatbelt bill, supporters emphasized that buckling up would save lives. But the issue...
Judge Vows He’s Still Open to Mass Settlement of State Farm Katrina Claims in Miss.
Apr 18 2007 // A federal judge said this week that his “door is open” to a mass settlement of disputed insurance claims in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, but he won’t endorse a proposed class-action settlement of...
Pa. Lawmaker Seeks Reinstatement of Helmet Law
Apr 18 2007 // A bill introduced by a state legislator would reverse the 2003 law that made wearing a helmet optional for most motorcycle riders in Pennsylvania. Under current law, motorcyclists younger than 21 must wear helmets. Helmet...
Insurers Association Voices Concern Over Washington ‘Bad Faith’ Bill
Apr 17 2007 // Following the Washington Senate’s passing of an Insurance Fair Conduct Act, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has issued a statement voicing its concern that the bill will lead trial...
Uncivil Wash. Lawmakers OK Insurance Fair Conduct Act
Apr 16 2007 // The debate was quick and anticlimatic in the Senate last week, as lawmakers approved a proposed Insurance Fair Conduct Act that touched off a major tiff on the House floor a week earlier. In less than a minute, senators...
Arizona Appeals Court Rules Pain Not Equal to Injury
Apr 16 2007 // The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that subjective pain does not fall under Arizona’s definition of an injury for which an employee is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. According to court...
Elderfield Named New Bermuda Monetary Authority CEO
Apr 16 2007 // The Bermuda Monetary Authority, which among other things regulates the island’s insurance industry, announced that Matthew Elderfield has been appointed as the organization’s next CEO. He “brings 20 years...
Bush Administration Rejects Pleas for Federal Disaster Plan
Apr 13 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this week in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that they say has gone...
Ark. Commissioner Speaks to Senate Committee on State of P/C Industry
Apr 12 2007 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman testified before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 11 on the overall state of the property/casualty insurance market...
La. Governor, Commissioner Outline Insurance Legislative Package
Apr 12 2007 // Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and state Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon on April 11 unveiled a joint legislative package to attract new insurers to the state, drive down rates and protect consumers,...
Mo. House Bill Would Expand Access to Health Insurance
Apr 12 2007 // Missourians lacking health insurance because of its high cost and their personal health problems could find it easier to get coverage under legislation given initial approval by the House. The measure also would make it...
‘Party Fund’ Stripped From N.D. Workers’ Comp Budget Bill
Apr 12 2007 // A proposed $53.3 million budget for North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency no longer has a $50,000 party fund, lawmakers say. House and Senate negotiators removed the fund from the Workforce Safety and...
New Online Calculator Helps Assess the Financial Cost of Data Theft
Apr 12 2007 // Darwin Professional Underwriters Inc., a specialty insurance company and provider of technology liability insurance coverage, has developed an online calculator that allows companies to estimate their financial risk from...
Poll: Washington Drivers Support Cell Phone Legislation
Apr 11 2007 // Washington drivers believe that talking on a cell phone while driving should be legal only with a hands-free device, or made illegal altogether, according to a poll by PEMCO Insurance. According to the company’s 2007...
Industry to Congress: Private Market Is the Best Solution on Natural Disasters, But Some Say Federal Help Needed
Apr 11 2007 // The private insurance marketplace, not the federal government, is the best vehicle to address coastal insurance issues and natural disasters in the U.S., according to insurers. Even so, the federal government can play a...
NEW MEXICO LEGISLATION TO LIMIT ACCESS TO CREDIT REPORTS
Apr 9 2007 // New Mexico’s legislature has passed a bill allowing consumers to place a security freeze on access to their credit report, but it does not apply to insurance underwriting. Just before the legislative session ended,...
On shaky ground?
Apr 9 2007 // Two decades since its formation, the West’s only regional catastrophe pool, the California Earthquake Authority, faces financial and management changes that could have significant implications for its future. Those...
