Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Arkansas Lawmaker: Flooding Highlights Need for Levee Standards

Jun 26 2015 // Changes to Arkansas’ levee system after recent flooding in the state should be on the agenda if the Legislature is called back into a special session , a key lawmaker said.Republican Sen. Jason Rapert, who chairs the...

Lawmakers Vow to Review Abandoned Mine Insurance Program

Jun 26 2015 // Lawmakers will examine whether a program that allows coal companies to forgo mine cleanup insurance could leave taxpayers with billion dollar costs, leading members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources said on...

Delaware Bans ‘Loser-Pays’ Fee-Shifting Bylaws in Corporate Class Actions

Jun 26 2015 // Delaware’s governor has signed into law a ban on companies adopting rules that could force investors who bring and lose certain lawsuits to pay the company’s legal costs, disappointing business groups.The U.S....

Insurers Disappointed as Supreme Court Backs Disparate Impact Claims

Jun 25 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court said people who file housing-discrimination suits don’t have to show they were victims of intentional bias, in a blow to lenders and insurers and a surprise legal victory for the Obama...

Congress Finally Approves Fast Track Trade Authority

Jun 25 2015 // Legislation vital to securing the largest U.S. trade deal in decades was passed by the Senate on Wednesday by a comfortable margin, advancing President Barack Obama’s efforts to strengthen U.S. economic ties around...

6 Decisions Coming from Supreme Court Over Next Few Days

Jun 25 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court is saving the best for last.The nation’s top court will issue a series of major rulings over the next several days as it closes its nine-month term. In addition to landmark gay-marriage and...

North Carolina Lawmakers Approve Insurance Requirement for Mopeds

Jun 25 2015 // Moped owners could have a new item on their to-do lists in 2016 after getting their small-engine bikes registered with the state starting next month.The General Assembly gave its final approval Tuesday to legislation...

NYC’s Taxi Regulatory Agency OKs New App Rules for Uber, Lyft

Jun 24 2015 // New York City’s taxi regulatory agency on Monday approved new rules governing how Uber and other app-based car services operate within the five boroughs.Part of the proposal unanimously passed allows the companies to...

Senate Advances Fast Track Trade Bill

Jun 24 2015 // The U.S. Senate advanced legislation that would give President Barack Obama enhanced authority to complete free-trade deals including a landmark agreement with Pacific nations.The 60-37 vote Tuesday paves the way for final...

Democrats Vow One Sentence Fix If Court Ends Obamacare Subsidies

Jun 24 2015 // Democrats are prepared to quickly come up with a legislative solution should the U.S. Supreme Court rule in the next few days to invalidate a central part of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, party...

Judge Delays Federal Fracking Safety Regulations

Jun 24 2015 // New U.S. fracking safety rules set to take effect Wednesday were put on hold by a Wyoming federal judge who said he needed more evidence to decide whether to block them as requested by drillers and four western...

Florida High Court Removes Judge Over Misconduct in Progressive Injury Cases

Jun 24 2015 // A Broward County judge will be removed from the bench for misconduct committed eight years before she was elected to the post.The Florida Supreme Court ruled June 18 that Judge Laura Watson isn’t fit to serve as a...

U.S. Warns of Dire Consequences If No Global Action on Climate Change

Jun 23 2015 // Labor productivity would dwindle as workers wilt in the heat. Summers in Illinois would feel like a Louisiana swamp. Epic downpours and surging seas of the future would leave $5 trillion in losses. And worsening air...

New York Lawmakers Approve Tougher Regulation of Nail Salons

Jun 22 2015 // New York lawmakers on June 19 approved tougher regulation of nail salons, intended to help protect some 40,000 workers — many of them female immigrants — from getting shorted on pay and otherwise mistreated.The...

NYSIF Issues Update on Elimination of WCB Fees, Weekly Benefit Rate

Jun 22 2015 // The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) issued an update on June 19 noting that Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced the elimination of a number of Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) fees as a part of the 2015-16...

Michigan Regulators OK Meadowbrook/Fosun International Transaction

Jun 22 2015 // Michigan insurance regulators have approved the acquisition of Southfield-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc. by China’s Fosun International Limited.Meadowbrook Insurance Group announced that it received the...

Michigan Lawmakers OK Alcohol on Liability-Insured ‘Pedal Pubs’

Jun 22 2015 // People would be able to drink alcohol on certain pedal-powered vehicles under legislation going to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for consideration. The state House on June 18 gave final approval to the two bills. The bills...

Insurers, Bankers Can’t Be Scared Into Doing Right Thing: PwC Survey

Jun 22 2015 // A get-tough approach to poor employee performance, in terms of behavior and reaching targets, risks creating a climate of fear and breeding more unethical conduct in financial services – the opposite of what regulators,...

Mississippi Officials Want U.S. Long-Haul Truck Proposal Squashed

Jun 22 2015 // Mississippi’s transportation commissioners are urging U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran to help squash a proposal that would force the state to allow larger double-trailer trucks on its roads.“I don’t like Congress...

Utah TNC Bill Makes Optional Coverages Mandatory

Jun 18 2015 // When Utah’s brief legislative session came to a close in March, proponents of ridesharing services offered by transportation network companies rejoiced. The state had passed S.B. 294, sponsored by state Sen. Stuart...