Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Texas Bill Preventing Local Drilling Bans Goes to Governor

May 18 2015 // A Texas bill banning its own cities from imposing prohibitions on hydraulic fracturing and other potentially environmentally harmful oil and natural gas drilling activities within their boundaries has been sent to Gov....

New Mexico AG Says Uber, Lyft Drivers Need Drug Testing

May 18 2015 // Drivers of ridesharing services Lyft and Uber in New Mexico should face strict drug testing requirements like taxi drivers and keep detailed records of such tests, the state Attorney General Hector Balderas told regulators...

Arizona Court Rules School District Has Immunity From Negligence Suit

May 15 2015 // An Arizona appellate court has ruled that Tucson Unified School District has legal immunity from a lawsuit accusing it of negligently hiring a teaching assistant later convicted of attempting to secretly record a...

N.Y. DMV’s New Rule Allows Proof of Auto Insurance in Electronic Format

May 14 2015 // The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles recently implemented a new regulation that allows motorists to show proof of auto insurance in either the paper or electronic format. The regulation went into effect on April...

Senate Now Expected to Pass Fast-Track Authority

May 14 2015 // U.S. Senate leaders agreed on a deal to move forward with President Barack Obama’s legislation to speed approval of trade agreements following a one-day rebellion by Democrats.The Senate will hold votes Thursday on...

Flood Insurance Does Not Cover Debris Removal From Insureds’ Land

May 13 2015 // A federal appeals court in Philadelphia recently ruled that a standard flood insurance policy from the National Flood Insurance Program does not cover the cost of cleaning up storm-generated debris not owned by the...

New Law in Oklahoma Sets Requirements for Public Adjusters

May 13 2015 // Oklahoma’s governor has signed legislation proposed by the state insurance department that specifies certain required and prohibited actions of public adjusters.According to Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak,...

Idaho College Wants Judge to Reject Student’s $1.5M Vaccine Lawsuit

May 13 2015 // A Boise State University student is suing school officials in federal court because he contends they discriminated against him by refusing to give him a meningitis vaccine designed for younger adults. Christopher Burdge...

Banks Keep Distance from Marijuana Business and Its Unbanked Billions

May 12 2015 // The U.S. government has opened a new line of business for America’s biggest banks, and for once they don’t want it. Little wonder: it’s cash from legalized marijuana.The financial-crimes arm of the...

Senate Democrats Derail Fast-Track Trade Authority Bill

May 12 2015 // U.S. Senate Democrats delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama’s trade agenda on Tuesday, blocking debate on a bill that would have smoothed the path for a Pacific trade pact.The stunning outcome cast doubt...

Senate Banking Chair Shelby Unveils Financial Regulation Reform Bill

May 12 2015 // The head of the Senate Banking Committee unveiled his long-awaited bill to toughen oversight of the Federal Reserve and ease the regulatory burden on dozens of banks, setting off what could be intense negotiations with...

Appeals Court Returns Gulf ‘Dead Zone’ Lawsuit to Judge

May 12 2015 // A federal judge who ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take action to regulate farm runoff and other pollution blamed for the Gulf of Mexico’s annual oxygen-depleted “dead zone” must take a...

Best Sees Insurance Opportunities with Increasing Commercial Drone Use

May 12 2015 // A.M. Best’s analysis of the growth in the use of drone aircraft concludes that the “commercial use of drones presents exciting possibilities to a number of industries, but as with any new technology, unique and...

Governor Signs Missouri Medical Malpractice Damage Caps into Law

May 11 2015 // Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a measure capping some damage awards in medical malpractices cases, three years after the state’s Supreme Court struck down similar limits as unconstitutional.“This bipartisan...

European Insurers’ Dividend Growth Unlikely With Rock-Bottom Interest Rates

May 11 2015 // Expectations of rising dividends and share buybacks from Europe’s insurance companies are fading as ultra low interest rates make it harder for them to meet new capital regulations.Rock-bottom interest rates reduce...

North Carolina Debt Option Proposed by Lawmakers to Pay Catastrophic Claims

May 11 2015 // The state-sanctioned property insurance program in North Carolina coastal counties could borrow to pay for extreme catastrophic losses from hurricanes in legislation making its way through the General Assembly. The House...

Lyft Says Plans to Pull out of New Mexico over Rules

May 8 2015 // Ridesharing service Lyft says it’s suspending operations in New Mexico after state regulators passed new requirements that the company called “onerous.”The San Francisco-based firm set a May 14 deadline...

UK Elects the Conservatives, but Question of EU Status Remains

May 8 2015 // “Heavy Fog In Channel. Continent Cut Off.” That often quoted newspaper headline, which dates from at least the 1930’s, captures the ambivalent feelings the British have about their European neighbors....

Georgia Governor Approves Ridesharing Regulation

May 8 2015 // Gov. Nathan Deal has signed into law two bills regulating the high-tech ridesharing industry in Georgia. Surrounded by young Uber drivers in black T-shirts and Lyft drivers wearing pink on Wednesday, Deal signed into law...

Alabama Governor Signs ‘Innovator Liability’ Law

May 8 2015 // Companies in Alabama would be protected from lawsuits related to products they didn’t make under newly passed legislation.Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday signed into law a bill that says manufacturers are not liable...