Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
EU Prepares for Coming of Facial Recognition– On Its Privacy Terms
Feb 3 2020 // The European Union has accepted there is no escape from facial recognition, but is seeking to ensure any roll-out that includes U.S. and Chinese players will abide by European values like strict personal privacy. Facial...
IGI Gets Regulatory Nod from Bermuda After Merger with Tiberius Acquisition
Jan 31 2020 // International General Insurance Holdings Ltd. (IGI) announced it has received regulatory approval from the Bermuda Monetary Authority in connection with its previously announced business combination with Tiberius...
Judge Finds Ransomware Damage to Computer a ‘Direct Physical Loss’
Jan 30 2020 // State Auto Property and Casualty Insurance Co. is liable for the cost of replacing a computer server that was damaged and perhaps permanently compromised by a ransomware attack despite the carrier’s argument that the...
Brexit Impact on UK Insurers Dictated by Trade Talks, Possible Economic Hit: AM Best
Jan 30 2020 // From an operational point of view, the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020 will have little immediate impact on AM Best-rated insurers in the UK or EU, according to the ratings agency...
Rhode Island Judge Says Jury Should Decide if Uber Can Be Liable for Crash
Jan 29 2020 // A jury should determine whether Uber ought to be held responsible for a passenger’s injuries, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled. A U.S. District Court judge concluded Jan. 16 that jurors should determine whether...
Bill Would Require Extended Safety Netting at Ohio Pro Ballparks
Jan 29 2020 // An Ohio state lawmaker has introduced legislation requiring all major and minor league baseball teams in the state to install protective netting from foul pole to foul pole. State Rep. John Patterson introduced his bill in...
Insurers Say Proposed California Regs Could Axe Discounts for Millions
Jan 28 2020 // The American Property Casualty Insurance Association testified today in opposition to draft regulations they say could eliminate many affinity group insurance discount programs during a pre-notice workshop held by the...
Colorado Lawmakers Want to Toughen Workplace Harassment Protections
Jan 27 2020 // A proposal to rewrite Colorado’s rules for workplace harassment claims is expected to be introduced soon at the state capitol. It would change things for employers by limiting the use of confidentiality agreements in...
South Texas Lawmaker Appointed to Windstorm Insurance Oversight Board
Jan 27 2020 // Texas state Rep. J.M. Lozano has been appointed to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) Legislative Oversight Board, a group of four State Representatives and four State Senators that will closely monitor TWIA...
Oklahoma State Representative’s Bill Would Regulate Peer-to-Peer Car Rentals
Jan 27 2020 // A state representative in Oklahoma has filed a bill that would set regulatory standards for the nascent peer-to-peer rental car industry. Rep. Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) says House Bill 3655 supports both the growth and the...
U.K. Financial Services Firms Prepare for Worst in Brexit Trade Talks
Jan 27 2020 // Britain’s finance sector is losing hope of securing even basic access to European Union markets from Dec. 31, as talk that the EU wants UK fishing rights in exchange draws the industry into a political struggle...
Florida Lawmakers Weigh Proposals to Fight Algae Blooms
Jan 27 2020 // The scum of blue-green algae was so thick and invasive in Florida two years ago that it suffocated fish by the thousands. Birds dropped dead. And people stayed out of the water. Offshore, a toxic swarm of rust-colored...
Industry Calls On Florida Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse
Jan 27 2020 // Florida lawmakers are considering a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day 2020 Legislative Session that started Jan. 14. At the top of the list for industry and consumer advocates are reforms to...
California Insurance Wholesalers Look at Gig Economy Law
Jan 27 2020 // A sweeping California gig economy law was the focus of a lot of the talk this year during an annual insurance wholesalers conference. Assembly Bill 5, California’s gig worker law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in...
Making Big Oil Pay for Climate Change May Be Impossible
Jan 24 2020 // Exxon Mobil dodged a bullet last month when a judge rejected a novel climate-change lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general. The case began with a promise from state officials that there would be a historic...
Indonesia to Tighten Oversight of Troubled Insurance Industry as Crisis Continues
Jan 24 2020 // With Indonesia’s oldest life insurer tottering on the brink of collapse following years of alleged mismanagement, authorities plan to tighten surveillance of the industry by overhauling regulations and setting up a...
Florida Lawmakers Propose Task Force to Protect State from Sea-Level Rise
Jan 24 2020 // After years of mostly ignoring climate change, Florida lawmakers waded deeper into the matter on Tuesday, advancing a proposal that would create a statewide Office of Resiliency and establish a task force to begin looking...
New Laws Spur Insurers to Reserve for Potential Child Sex-Abuse Claims
Jan 24 2020 // Travelers Companies Inc. has set aside a “modest” amount of additional money to cover its possible exposure to child sex-abuse claims, the insurer’s finance chief, Daniel Frey, told analysts during an...
Judge Rejects City’s Plea to End Lawsuit Over Ohio Teen’s Death
Jan 23 2020 // An Ohio judge has decided to move forward with a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a 16-year-old student who died after being trapped by a fold-up vehicle seat, despite making two 911 calls. Hamilton County...
New Jersey Law Bans Sale of Flavored Vaping Products
Jan 23 2020 // The sale of flavored vaping products is banned in New Jersey under legislation Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed Tuesday. Murphy signed the measure that moved to his desk amid a nationwide scare last year over...
