Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Calif. Governor Picks Insurance Industry Lobbyist for Deputy Chief of Staff
Dec 15 2005 // California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has chosen an insurance industry lobbyist to be his deputy chief of staff and senior advisor for policy development, a new position.Starting at the new year, Dan Dunmoyer will...
Insurers Reject Alternate SOX Proposal
Dec 8 2005 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) announced it will oppose an amended regulator proposal to add federally-styled internal control measures to state insurance regulation, according to its...
Insurers Urge Regulatory Modernization, Study of Cat Risk
Dec 8 2005 // In a speechbefore the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) States & Nation Policy Summit, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America President and CEO Ernst Csiszar urged state legislators...
House Floor Vote on Terrorism Insurance Expected Today
Dec 7 2005 // Legislation that would extend the federal terrorism insurance backstop through 2007 is likely to be considered by the full U.S. House of Representatives this afternoon. TRIA, passed a year after the attacks of Sept. 11,...
Pa. Senate Votes to Revive ‘Fair Share’ Lawsuit Reform Act
Dec 7 2005 // The Pennsylvania state Senate has voted to restore the “Fair Share Act” lawsuit reform in a 32-18 vote. State Sen. Jake Corman (R-34), the bill’s author, said that Senate Bill 435 brings Pennsylvania in...
House of Representatives Passes Terrorism Insurance Bill
Dec 7 2005 // Legislation that will extend the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act for an additional two years passed on the House of Representatives floor today. The House bill (S. 467) passed by a vote of 371 to 49. The Senate already...
Catholic Church in Pa. Fights Change to Allow New Sex Abuse Suits
Dec 6 2005 // Roman Catholic Church officials in Pennsylvania say a proposal that would allow sexual-abuse victims from decades ago to file lawsuits could lead to financial ruin for dioceses across the state. Some Harrisburg lawmakers...
NAMIC: Study on Cost Impact of N.J. Court Ruling Shows Legislation Need
Dec 6 2005 // A new actuarial study concluding that a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling will substantially increase costs for drivers that choose no fault coverage shows there is a significant need for legislation to correct the decision,...
Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Med-Mal Award Cap Legislation
Dec 5 2005 // Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation that would have capped the amount of money medical malpractice victims could win in court for their pain and suffering, an issue that has been a political flash point in states across the...
Judge Allows N.Y. City’s Suit Against Gun Industry to Proceed
Dec 5 2005 // Federal District Court Judge Jack Weinstein on Dec. 2 ruled that New York City’s landmark lawsuit against the gun industry can proceed, despite a federal law that limits the legal liability of gun manufacturers and...
Minn. High Court Rules Drunken Passenger Doesn’t Justify Search
Dec 5 2005 // The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a police officer wasn’t justified in searching the vehicle of a Winona woman because the passenger in her car was drunk. “To allow a vehicle search solely because an...
Disability Insurers Challenge “Underground Regulations” in Court
Dec 5 2005 // Insurance companies filed a lawsuit against California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, challenging what they called “underground regulations” that would boost the cost of disability...
Conn. Proud of Its ‘Common Sense’ Compensation Disclosure Law
Dec 5 2005 // States in search of a “common sense” approach to insurance producer compensation disclosure might consider talking to Connecticut officials, that state’s commissioner recently proposed. “I’m...
AUTO REFORM DIFFERENCES:
Dec 5 2005 // Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance, with Reilly saying the governor’s reform plan would create chaos and Romney accusing Reilly of failing as a leader because he had no plan...
Industry Group Sees Sarbanes-Oxley as an Example of Hyper-Vigilance
Dec 5 2005 // The extension of Sarbanes-Oxley to non-public insurance companies is a good example of the era of regulatory hyper-vigilance in which it is difficult to know when an issue is of legitimate public policy concern or when it...
Eight Key Litigation Trends
Dec 5 2005 // Following are key findings in the 2005 Fulbright and Jaworski 2005 Litigation Trends Survey. 1) Litigation Dockets –Eighty-seven percent of American companies are engaged in some form of litigation in the United...
Case Law Watch
Dec 5 2005 // Montana House Bill 631 (Signed into law on April 8, 2005) Regulation: This law relates to the revision of surplus lines insurance law and provides that a policy may not be placed with an unauthorized insurer unless the...
Whitfield: Legislation Might Be Needed To Resolve Jockey Issues
Dec 5 2005 // Racetrack executives appeared before a House panel recently, arguing that congressional action is not necessary to solve industry problems, including a recent lapse in health insurance for jockeys that left the...
Statewide Code to Guide Rebuilding in Louisiana
Dec 5 2005 // The Louisiana Legislature passed a measure creating a mandatory, uniform statewide building code that proponents believe will not only help build a more structurally stable Loui-siana but will help keep insurance rates...
LAWMAKERS ASK COLO. TO CRACK DOWN ON AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES
Dec 5 2005 // Democratic lawmakers have asked the Colorado Division of Insurance to crack down on auto insurance companies and fine them $250 a day if they fail to submit timely information to a database that tracks uninsured...
