Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Judge Cuts Billionaire Koch’s $12M Award in Fake Wine Case to $1M

Mar 31 2014 // Billionaire William Koch’s $12 million damages award in a lawsuit accusing a fellow wine collector of selling counterfeit Bordeaux was reduced by a U.S. judge to a little less than $1 million.The punitive damages a...

Poll’s Preemptive Strike Against Colorado Rideshare Bill

Mar 31 2014 // Days before a key vote in Colorado Legislature on ridesharing regulation a large insurer has come out with a poll that shows the majority of Coloradans believe rideshare companies should cover their drivers with commercial...

Arizona Joins Fray Over Ridesharing Services

Mar 31 2014 // Arizona has joined a number of states debating how to regulate so-called ridesharing programs that have popped up around the country and riled traditional taxi and limousine establishments.An amendment to an unrelated bill...

South Dakota Judge: No Dismissal of $1.2B ‘Pink Slime’ Defamation Suit

Mar 31 2014 // A South Dakota judge has refused to throw out a defamation lawsuit against ABC related to its coverage of a meat product called lean, finely textured beef, which critics have dubbed “pink slime.”Beef Products...

Wisconsin Governor Signs Controversial Asbestos Lawsuit Bill

Mar 31 2014 // Gov. Scott Walker quietly signed into law a bill that critics say would delay and deny justice to those who seek damages in court after falling ill from exposure to asbestos.The asbestos bill, which was introduced last...

Scooter Law Stronger in Indiana but Still No Insurance Requirement

Mar 31 2014 // Drivers of motorized scooters in Indiana will face tighter regulations under a measure signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence, although an insurance requirement is not among them.The new law will require scooter operators to...

Life Insurers Flock to ‘Easy’ Iowa As More Federal Oversight Looms

Mar 28 2014 // After Symetra Financial Corp. was formed in 2004, the life insurer set up shop in a 25-story glass tower outside Seattle, put its name on the building and pushed the state to adopt more favorable rules for its business.The...

Rideshare Questions Linger in California

Mar 27 2014 // While Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has recommended that insurance should be required to cover the “app on, no match” period when rideshare drivers are between fares, that doesn’t seem to have ended...

R.I. Regulators: Insurers Must Pay ‘Fair Market Value’ for Total Loss Vehicles

Mar 27 2014 // Rhode Island’s Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division, issued a bulletin Monday stating that pursuant to the state law, auto insurers must pay the “fair market value” for a vehicle that is...

Rideshare Services Regulation Bill Filed in Illinois

Mar 27 2014 // A dispute among taxi companies, Chicago officials and rideshare companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar is about to welcome one more player: state lawmakers who say the rideshare industry needs to play by the same rules...

Delaware’s New Legislation Adds Teeth to Certificate of Insurance Regulations

Mar 27 2014 // Delaware legislature on Tuesday passed HB 104 (“An Act to Amend Title 18 of the Delaware Code Relating to Certificates of Insurance”) that aims to curtail the improper use of certificates of insurance.Delaware...

Backers Drop Arizona Legislation On Workers’ Comp Benefits

Mar 27 2014 // Business-backed legislation to prohibit workers from filing lawsuits alleging they were unfairly denied workers’ compensation benefits for on-the-job injuries is going nowhere at the Arizona Legislature.According to...

Kansas Parents Want Stricter Day Care Regulations, Insurance Requirement

Mar 26 2014 // A Wichita, Kan., couple whose son died while at day care is using their tragedy to push for stronger regulations of day care providers. Brock and Christina Mosier won a $950,000 judgment against day care provider Karin...

For Safety Advocates, GM Recall Highlights Cuts in Government Investigations

Mar 26 2014 // The U.S. office responsible for monitoring safety defects in cars has had its budget stagnate and its staff cut by one-fifth from highs more than a decade ago, when Congress tried to strengthen it.While no one has...

With Fix for Flood Insurance Program Deficit Delayed, Now What?

Mar 26 2014 // There’s no easy fix for the National Flood Insurance Program, now drowning in a $24 billion sea of red ink.But experts and advocates say Congress does have some options that could make the troubled program...

Florida Lawmaker Targets Cash-Only Medical Clinics

Mar 26 2014 // Cash-only medical clinics are allowed to skirt the licensing and regulation most other clinics are subject to, a loophole that a Florida lawmaker contends allows some of them to dispense drugs illicitly.State Sen. Eleanor...

N.J. Regulators Recovered $21M for Consumers, Health Care Providers in 2013

Mar 25 2014 // New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski announced last week that his department recovered nearly $21 million for consumers and health care providers, including nearly $7 million for...

Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek to Ease Federal Flood Insurance Rules

Mar 25 2014 // When Mitch Haddad and his brother began rebuilding their family’s oceanside restaurant in Marshfield, Massachusetts, they decided to take no chances.The restaurant, which had been in the family for more than 70...

Florida Legislature Seeks to Entice Private Insurers to Sell Flood Policies

Mar 24 2014 // The Florida Legislature is moving forward on a plan to entice private insurance companies to sell flood policies in the state that’s the most vulnerable to storm surge.It’s not clear, though, that many private...

President Obama Signs Flood Insurance Relief Bill

Mar 24 2014 // Homeowners living in flood-prone areas are getting relief from big spikes in insurance costs under legislation President Barack Obama signed into law last Friday.Lawmakers from both parties supported the measure in...