Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Tennessee Workers Comp Opt-Out Legislation Revised, Ready for Next Session

May 4 2015 // Legislation seeking to provide Tennessee employers with an option to the current workers’ compensation system has been amended and deferred to the next legislative session.State Sen. Mark Green, who authored the...

Alabama Lawmakers Dismiss Bill Barring Teens from Riding in Truck Beds

May 4 2015 // Alabama lawmakers won’t bar teens from riding in the back of pickup trucks after most acknowledged they’ve ridden back there too.The Alabama House of Representatives refused to debate a bill recently that would...

Challenges Continue as Drone Regulations Take Shape

May 4 2015 // Unmanned aerial systems, or drones as they are more commonly known, could serve important roles for property/casualty insurance companies, many of which have already begun planning to make use of the technology.By enabling...

N.J. Consumers to Get 1-Page Homeowners Policy Summary

May 4 2015 // The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance announced that starting in June, New Jersey consumers buying or renewing homeowners, condominium, mobile home, renters or dwelling fire insurance policies will receive a...

EEOC: Md. Regulatory Agency Violated Equal Pay Act

May 4 2015 // The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA), alleging that Maryland’s insurance regulatory agency paid its women investigators and...

Wisconsin Legislature Passes Ridesharing Bill

May 4 2015 // The Wisconsin Senate has approved a bill that would create statewide regulations on ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The legislation, which already passed the House, was sent to Gov. Scott Walker. The measure...

Doak Disputes WSJ Report; Says State Regulation Effective in Red Rock Case

May 4 2015 // The circumstances surrounding the liquidation of a small Oklahoma insurer highlight the concern over how effectively state insurance regulators are able assess potential buyers of insurance companies, according to a recent...

Property Claim Litigation Bill Passed by the Texas Senate

May 1 2015 // The Texas Senate on April 30 passed a bill aimed at stemming the onslaught of property claim litigation that has been occurring with increasing frequency in the state following natural catastrophes.Advocates of Senate Bill...

Detroit Mayor Says Plan Would Lower Car Insurance Cost

May 1 2015 // The mayor of Detroit says he’ll ask state lawmakers to approve a car insurance program that would lower rates for city residents. Mayor Mike Duggan says the plan could cut costs by $1,000 a year. He has said the high...

2 Lawsuits Over 2013 Arizona Wildfire Dismissed by Judge

May 1 2015 // Two lawsuits filed against Arizona by homeowners whose properties were destroyed by the Yarnell Hill Fire have been dismissed.A Maricopa County Superior Court judge agreed Wednesday with the state’s argument that it...

New Mexico AG Says Uber, Lyft Drivers Need Drug Testing

May 1 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...

Judge Denies Daughter’s Cuba Damages Claim Under TRIA for Father’s Death

May 1 2015 // A federal judge who will sentence BNP Paribas SA Friday for violating U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Iran and Cuba on Thursday rejected a Cuban-American woman’s bid for compensation for her father’s death at the...

RIMS Report: Insurance Gamechangers Include Cyber, Talent, Data

May 1 2015 // Protecting clients against growing and poorly understood risks associated with information technology system failures is a leading concern of the insurance industry today, a group of underwriters and brokers told risk...

Supreme Court Narrow Ruling Finds Elected Judges Aren’t Politicians

May 1 2015 // Chief Justice John Roberts isn’t a politician — and he wants you to know it. That’s the message of a surprising 5-4 decision issued Wednesday by the U.S. Supreme Court in which Roberts provided the...

Family of Paralyzed Florida Teen Will Get $3.5M Settlement From New Law

May 1 2015 // The family of a Jacksonville teenager who was left paralyzed by a falling tree limb will receive a $3.5 million settlement under a bill the Legislature sent to Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday.If Scott signs the bill, Joseph and...

Oklahoma Ban on Texting and Driving Goes to Governor

Apr 30 2015 // Oklahoma is in line to become the 46th in the nation to pass a ban on texting and driving.A bill passed on April 29 by the House goes to Gov. Mary Fallin, who urged lawmakers in her State of the State speech in February to...

Con Ed, NYC Face New Lawsuit Over 2014 Harlem Gas Explosion

Apr 30 2015 // Consolidated Edison Inc and New York City have been hit with a new lawsuit alleging that their carelessness contributed to a 2014 gas explosion in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood that killed eight people and...

California’s Brown Wants to Battle Drought With Fine For Water Wasters

Apr 30 2015 // California businesses and residents that waste the most water as the state copes with a drought should face $10,000 fines, Gov. Jerry Brown said, as his administration rejected calls from cities to relax its mandatory...

N.Y.’s New Regulations Aim to Reduce Title Insurance Costs

Apr 29 2015 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced new regulations Wednesday that would crack down on what officials describe as kickbacks and other improper expenditures in the state’s title insurance industry.These improper...

Hurricane Sandy Judges Demand Clearing of Settlement Roadblocks

Apr 28 2015 // Federal officials and flood insurance companies were chastised by a panel of New York judges for imposing delays on settlements with hundreds of Hurricane Sandy victims who alleged their claims were wrongfully denied or...