Latest Legislation Headlines

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

U.S. Consumer Bureau Moves to Restrict Mandatory Arbitration Clauses

Mar 10 2015 // Financial companies routinely use mandatory arbitration to block class-action lawsuits, making it difficult for consumers to win big payouts in disputes over credit cards and other products, a U.S. regulator found.When...

Illinois Lawmaker Wants Prison Time for Distracted Drivers in Fatal Crashes

Mar 10 2015 // Fatal crashes caused by illegal cellphone use should carry penalties similar to those imposed on drunk drivers who kill, a suburban lawmaker says.The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that Rep. Robert Marwick wants...

Jury Verdict Favors Texas Insurer in Hidalgo County Hail Claim Case

Mar 9 2015 // A Texas-based insurance company has prevailed in the first lawsuit to go to trial over claims from two massive hailstorms in Hidalgo County, Texas, in 2012.The 12-member jury in Amaro v. National Lloyds found that National...

Texas Lawmaker Files Insurance Department Transparency Bill

Mar 9 2015 // A bill filed by state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, would require the Texas Department of Insurance to post on its website information regarding insurance rates of every residential property and personal auto insurer...

Safety Concerns Block Effort to Raise Interstate Speed Limit in Iowa

Mar 9 2015 // Iowa drivers will stay out of the fast lane for now, after lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have boosted the speed limit on interstate highways, bringing it in line with many nearby states.The bill sought to...

Supreme Court Reopens Notre Dame Bid to Bypass Birth Control Coverage

Mar 9 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court told a lower court to reconsider whether the University of Notre Dame must comply with Obama administration regulations for the Affordable Care Act that aim to ensure contraceptive coverage for...

Lawmakers Probe FEMA’s Sandy-Related Claims

Mar 9 2015 // U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.) on March 2 called for an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after stories surfaced that FEMA was aware of allegedly fraudulent engineering reports that may...

New Drought Rules at Restaurants, Hotels Considered in California

Mar 9 2015 // Officials are considering new water restrictions as California’s drought drags on, possibly forcing residents to ask for water at restaurants and for fresh towels and sheets at hotels.The State Water Resources...

Nevada Bill Proposes Liability Protections for Horse-Related Injuries

Mar 9 2015 // Rural Nevada lawmakers are proposing a bill that would improve liability protections for horse-related accidents and injuries.Sen. Pete Goicoechea and Assemblyman John Ellison introduced SB 129 to the Senate Committee on...

Arizona Court Rules on Travel for Injured Worker Care

Mar 9 2015 // A court ruling says Arizona workers being treated for on-the-job injuries aren’t entitled to travel expenses if they haven’t shown they cannot get necessary care locally. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in...

Insurance Market Evolves for Drone Pilots Unwilling to Wait on Federal Regulations

Mar 6 2015 // One insurance broker in Colorado has already written policies on 2,600 drones, and a San Francisco-based company said it has assembled an Uber-like list of 1,000 trained operators businesses can hire to do the flying for...

Road Funding Bill Passed by Texas Senate

Mar 6 2015 // The Texas Senate has approved the first bill of the legislative session, with speedy passage of a plan to shift billions of dollars generated by vehicle sales taxes to building and maintaining roads strained by the...

Texas Businesses Oppose ‘Pro-Discrimination’ Legislation

Mar 6 2015 // Two proposed constitutional amendments that supporters say would protect Texans from government intrusion into their free exercise of religion are meeting resistance from a coalition led by a former adviser to George W....

Arkansas Senate Votes to Delay State Insurance Exchange Plans

Mar 6 2015 // Arkansas lawmakers voted to put the state’s plans to set up its own insurance exchange under the federal health law on hold while the nation’s highest court weighs a legal challenge over tax subsidies granted...

Tennessee Lawmakers Introduce Work Comp ‘Option’ Legislation

Mar 6 2015 // Tennessee may soon have its own answer to an alternative workers’ compensation insurance option through new legislation by Republican lawmakers known as the Tennessee Employee Injury Benefit Alternative.Tennessee...

Craft Breweries Victorious in Kentucky Beer Distribution Battle

Mar 6 2015 // Anheuser-Busch can make beer, but they have to let other people sell it in Kentucky.The state Senate voted 23-13 to ban brewers from owning alcohol distributors, a sign of the increasing influence of the emerging craft...

Idaho Lawmakers Take Up Guidelines For Driverless Cars

Mar 5 2015 // Idaho citizens could soon be sharing the road with driverless cars.A Senate panel considered a bill earlier this week that would allow companies to test self-driving cars on Idaho highways. Senate Transportation Committee...

Georgia House Passes Ridesharing Regulation Bill

Mar 5 2015 // The first of a slew of bills that would regulate popular car-hailing companies such as Uber overwhelmingly passed the Georgia House on Tuesday, but the San Francisco-based tech firm said it was not happy with the measure...

Trucking Safety Chief Defends Driver Rest Regulations

Mar 4 2015 // The trucking industry’s overseer is giving little ground to critics who asked Congress to loosen U.S. regulations and revise a rating system designed to root out unsafe carriers.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety...

Connecticut Debates How to Regulate Rideshare Services

Mar 4 2015 // Connecticut is the latest state to grapple with how to regulate Uber and other ride-hailing services being embraced by the public but angering the long-established taxi and livery industry.Taxi and livery drivers say...