Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fight Shaping Up in Texas Over Proposed Indoor Smoking Ban
Feb 5 2007 // A proposed ban on smoking in all bars, restaurants and work sites across Texas is igniting a big-money fight at the state Capitol. Anti-smoking forces are lining up against the tobacco industry and some restaurant owners,...
Judge Refuses to Dismiss Feds, Corps From La. Flood Suit
Feb 5 2007 // Residents of the three areas flooded worst by Hurricane Katrina can sue the Army Corps of Engineers over claims that a poorly designed navigation channel caused catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina, a federal...
Judge Approves First Step of Portland Archdiocese Reorganization
Feb 5 2007 // The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., can expect nearly $52 million in insurance money after a federal bankruptcy judge approved the first step in the proposed reorganization plan for the church. The...
N. D. Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Fargo Insurance Company
Feb 2 2007 // A North Dakota judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to change the way one of the state’s largest insurance companies picks its board of directors. Northwest District Judge Douglas Mattson of Minot ruled against...
U.S. Judge Weighs Holocaust Victims’ Settlement with Italian Insurer
Feb 2 2007 // A settlement between Holocaust victims, their relatives and an Italian insurance company may be the only chance for some victims to recover money, a judge said, but he delayed ruling on approval of the deal. U.S. District...
Feds Extend Moratorium on Nonfinancial Firms’ Entry into Banking
Feb 2 2007 // The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday extended for one year a moratorium on considering nonfinancial companies’ applications to establish or acquire banks. The decision puts on hold pending applications...
Okla. Supreme Court Ruling Puts new Twist on Civil Liability Debate
Feb 2 2007 // For Dr. David Russell, an Enid radiologist and president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the debate over civil justice reform in Oklahoma isn’t about the politics that has kept many reform measures bottled...
La. Gov. Wraps up Calif. Trip with Plea to Insurance Executives
Feb 2 2007 // Insurance executives are growing more interested in doing business in Louisiana because of recent moves by the Florida Legislature that the industry considers government meddling, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said recently. Blanco...
Judge Approves Deal Over Katrina-Related Urban Oil Spill in La.
Feb 1 2007 // A federal judge on Jan. 30 approved a settlement between Murphy Oil Corp. and about 6,000 St. Bernard Parish, La., homeowners over an oil spill that happened during Hurricane Katrina. In a three-page ruling, U.S. District...
Maryland Told It Must Comply with Federal Real ID Driver’s License Act
Feb 1 2007 // Maryland must comply with the federal Real ID Act, Transportation Secretary nominee John D. Porcari told the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The Real ID Act mandates that states verify documents proving an applicant is a...
Kentucky Asks Judge to Reverse Ruling on Christian Health Plan
Feb 1 2007 // The Kentucky Office of Insurance has asked a judge to reconsider his decision to allow a Christian-only health care plan to continue operating in the state. Other states recognize Medi-Share as insurance and subject it to...
Fla. Gov. Crist Persuades Cabinet to Block Insurers’ Exit
Feb 1 2007 // In a forceful rebuke to insurance companies, Gov. Charlie Crist cajoled fellow Cabinet members into approving a rule Tuesday that will prevent property insurers from canceling Florida policies for much of the rest of this...
Washington Commissioner Issues Multiple Fines, Enforcement Actions
Jan 31 2007 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has ordered UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co. of Minneapolis to pay a $59,000 fine following an agency investigation into the company’s use of unapproved contracts...
Okla. Lawmakers Riled Over Delay in Emergency Declaration
Jan 31 2007 // The Bush administration’s delay in issuing a “major disaster declaration” after this month’s devastating ice storm has angered some lawmakers in eastern Oklahoma, where local governments have been...
Judge Reduces State Farm’s Punitive Damages in Miss. Katrina Case
Jan 31 2007 // The federal judge overseeing the Katrina claims cases in Mississippi has reduced a recent $2.5 million jury award of punitive damages against State Farm to $1 million. U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter ruled that a punitive...
Fla. Emergency Rule Would Freeze Insurers’ Moves Until June
Jan 31 2007 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist proposed an emergency rule Monday to guarantee insurers do not raise property insurance rates or cancel policies before a law he signed last week to lower rates goes into effect on June 1. Crist...
Arizona Lawmakers Move to Raise Burden of Proof on ER Suits
Jan 31 2007 // Hoping for a change of heart by Gov. Janet Napolitano, the Arizona Senate on Monday narrowly approved a medical malpractice bill to raise the bar on the legal burden of proof required for malpractice lawsuits involving...
Biggest U.S. Companies Fail to Disclose Climate Change Risks to Investors, Study Says
Jan 31 2007 // Despite growing financial losses in various business sectors from climate change, over half of the nation’s 500 largest publicly traded companies are doing a poor job of disclosing climate change risks to their...
Group Urges Legislators to Reintroduce Surplus Lines Reform Bill
Jan 31 2007 // National Association Professional Surplus Lines Offices is urging members of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to enact the surplus lines and reinsurance...
Ark. Gov. Names New Judge for Workers’ Comp Commission
Jan 30 2007 // Ark. Gov. Mike Beebe has appointed Chandra Hicks as the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s newest Administrative Law Judge, the AWCC reported. The AWCC administrates the state’s workers’...
