Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Top 10 Stories of the Year – South Central
Dec 24 2006 // It was difficult to get away from natural catastrophes in 2006, even though the year was relatively unscathed by those types of events. Back-to-back 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita continued to wreak havoc on insurance...
Professional liability in a financial world
Dec 24 2006 // What professional liability exposures do financial institutions face today? Have risks significantly changed since 2001? If so, why? Major events have had a direct impact on insurers, agents and the industry and have...
La. Judge Denies Move to Block Citizens from Hiking Rates
Dec 22 2006 // A judge has denied a request from a homeowner to immediately block Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from raising rates, but will consider arguments that the state’s insurer of last resort is...
Court Upholds Worker’s Claim Under Maine Medical Leave Act
Dec 22 2006 // A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Maine car salesman who says he was unjustly fired while taking medical leave that should have been protected by state law. The 1st U.S Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday...
ID Theft, Fraud Case Leads Okla. AG to Ask for Statute Change
Dec 21 2006 // Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office will propose legislation to expand his Consumer Protection Unit’s prosecutorial authority. In a release, Edmondson said a case he recently filed, which concerns...
La. Judge: Insurers Liable for Water
Dec 21 2006 // Even though a homeowner’s insurance policy said floods were not covered, leaving that statement out of the application left the company liable for damages to a house destroyed by Hurricane Rita’s winds and...
Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Part of Gov. Bush’s Legacy
Dec 19 2006 // Earlier this year, Ginny Stevans began compiling the “book of tears” – dozens of e-mails from Floridians who are suffering because of skyrocketing property insurance rates. Stevans, president of a Pasco...
Maine Lawmaker in Drive to Jail Repeat Drunk Drivers
Dec 19 2006 // This year, the target for Maine lawmakers in Augusta was habitual offenders. Next year, it’ll be repeat drunken drivers. State Sen. Bill Diamond was a sponsor of Tina’s Law, which was signed into law earlier...
La. Gov. Gets Just Two Bills Passed in Special Session
Dec 18 2006 // Legislators gave Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco little of what she wanted in her failed legislative session, approving just two of her bills on Dec. 15: plans to rebate homeowners’ insurance fees and to use $300...
Court Rules Company Not Liable for Employee’s E-mail Threats
Dec 18 2006 // A California Court of Appeals has ruled that an employer whose employee sends threatening e-mail messages and posts them on an Internet bulletin board using the company’s computer is not liable as an interactive...
1st Amendment Protects Atkins Diet from Suit, Rules N.Y. Judge
Dec 15 2006 // The Atkins diet is protected by the First Amendment against the claims of a Florida man who said the low-carbohydrate meal plan was dangerous and to blame for his heart troubles, a federal judge in New York ruled this...
Mich. Special Legislative Session Includes Senior Discount Proposal
Dec 15 2006 // Lawmakers are expected to wrap up the 2005-06 session this week. Among the bills acted on and sent to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for her consideration this week: Bills that would allow an automobile insurer to offer a premium...
Ohio Injured Workers Felt Pressure by Lawmakers, Businesses, Records Say
Dec 15 2006 // Employees at Ohio’s insurance fund for injured workers struggled with pushy lawmakers and threats by businesses to involve the governor as they decided premium rates for certain Ohio businesses, newly released...
N.Y. Gov.-Elect Spitzer Nominates Dinallo as Insurance Chief
Dec 15 2006 // Mass. Incoming New York Governor Eliot Spitzer will nominate Eric Dinallo, the former head of Spitzer’s own investment public protection division while he was attorney general and currently general counsel of Willis...
Allstate Floridian Lowers Rate Bids
Dec 14 2006 // Under pressure from state regulators, Allstate’s two Florida homeowners insurance companies are drastically shrinking the size of the rate increase they’re seeking. Allstate spokesman Ryan Priest said the...
U.S. Regulators Recommend Key Change in Regulation of Reinsurers
Dec 14 2006 // Insurance regulators from across the county voted to recommend major changes in the way reinsurers are regulated. The Financial Condition Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners this week adopted a...
Justice Department Pressured to Ease Corporate Scandal Tactics
Dec 13 2006 // The Justice Department this week agreed to ease its tough legal tactics against scandal-tainted corporations, requiring prosecutors to get approval from Washington before seeking confidential information between firms and...
La. Gov. Can’t Drum up Votes for Spending Plans
Dec 13 2006 // Republican lawmakers in Louisiana’s House of Representatives helped stall Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s spending plans, but the governor said she’s not negotiating with the GOP legislators any further in the...
Pa. Gov. Rendell Aims to Cut Health Care Costs in 2007
Dec 13 2006 // Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said this week that he will roll out a plan to lower health care costs by forcing hospitals and other care providers to be more efficient and make fewer mistakes. The plan, to be unveiled fully...
Incoming W.Va. House Speaker Vows to ‘Lead from Middle’
Dec 12 2006 // The next speaker of West Virginia’s House of Delegates will be receptive to measures pressing large employers like Wal-Mart for better health care benefits and overhauling the grievance process for public workers,...
