Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Europe Urged to Retain Climate Leadership As Competitive Advantage

Nov 15 2013 // Europe’s abdication from climate leadership would stunt growth in the region and hand a huge economic advantage to China and the United States as they carve out their share of a multi-billion low-carbon market, a...

Senate Joins House in Passing Compounding Pharmacy Oversight Bill

Nov 14 2013 // The Senate voted Tuesday to advance a bill designed to tighten government oversight of pharmacies that custom-mix prescription drugs, in the wake of last year’s deadly meningitis outbreak tied to contaminated pain...

House Passes Bill Requiring Reporting by Asbestos Victims’ Trusts

Nov 14 2013 // Honeywell International Inc., whose political action committee donates more money than any other corporate PAC, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spends more to lobby Congress than anyone else, saw long-sought...

European Insurers Welcome Deal on Solvency II Capital Rules

Nov 14 2013 // European insurers breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday that a deal on new capital requirements was less burdensome than initially feared, ending an uncertainty which has been hanging over the sector for many...

European Officials Reach Deal on Solvency II Insurance Rules

Nov 14 2013 // European politicians reached an agreement paving the way for new rules designed to make insurance companies safer after 13 years of wrangling with the industry and regulators.The European Commission, European Parliament...

Protections Sought by Nannies, Other Massachusetts Domestic Workers

Nov 13 2013 // Nannies and other domestic employees in Massaschusetts who say they are often forced to put in long hours without the same legal protections as other workers asked the state lawmakers to approve a bill of rights that would...

California Lawmaker Removed from Committees Amid FBI Probe

Nov 13 2013 // California State Sen. Ron Calderon was stripped of his committee assignments Tuesday amid a federal investigation involving allegations that he accepted money in return for promoting certain bills.The Senate Rules...

Clinton, Democrats Pressure White House to Amend Healthcare Law

Nov 13 2013 // The growing pressure on President Barack Obama to adjust his problem-plagued healthcare law seemed to boil over on Tuesday, as leaders of Obama’s Democratic Party called on him to allow a change in the law so that...

Europe Appears Close to Agreement on Solvency II Insurance Rules

Nov 12 2013 // Europe may be nearing an agreement on rules that aim to make insurance companies safer after 13 years of wrangling between politicians, companies and regulators.Insurers and European Union officials are working out a...

Report Calls for Prior Approval for All States

Nov 12 2013 // Holding automobile insurance regulation in California as an example, the Consumer Federation of America issued a report on Tuesday showing that auto insurance expenditures in America rose by 43 percent on average over the...

Food Stamp Gridlock Hurting Chance of Congress Passing Farm, Crop Insurance Bill

Nov 12 2013 // The chances of the U.S. Congress passing a five-year farm bill by year’s end are a little better than 50/50 given the gridlock over food stamps for the poor, a top farm policy expert said on Monday.“There is a...

New UK Financial Watchdogs Face Surge in Staff Turnover: Reuters

Nov 12 2013 // Staff have been quitting Britain’s financial watchdogs at nearly twice the rate since they were split into two bodies this year, data seen by Reuters shows, at a time when experts warn of a regulatory brain drain in...

Judge: New York City Doesn’t Protect Disabled in Emergencies

Nov 11 2013 // A judge cited disabled Superstorm Sandy victims stranded in high-rise towers to illustrate his conclusion that New York City violated laws designed to protect the disabled — about 11 percent of the city’s more...

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Upper Big Branch Mine Setttlement Payouts

Nov 11 2013 // A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by relatives of three men killed in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster who claimed that Alpha Natural Resources failed to pay them each $1.5 million as promised under a settlement...

Alabama Oil Train Derailment Raises New Crude-by-Rail Safety Questions

Nov 11 2013 // The second explosive oil-train derailment this year, which has finally burned out in rural Alabama, may raise new questions about the safety of the crude-by-rail boom, pointing to problems beyond those that surfaced...

Oil Tank Train Derails in Alabama; Cars Erupt in Flames

Nov 10 2013 // Several oil tank cars that burst into flames after a train derailed in rural Alabama were expected to keep burning into Saturday, potentially reigniting the push for tougher regulation of the boom in moving oil by...

New Deputy Insurance Commissioners Appointed in Louisiana

Nov 8 2013 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced that Executive Counsel Warren Byrd has been appointed to the position of deputy commissioner of the Office of Property and Casualty in the Louisiana Department of...

Oklahoma Lawmaker to Re-File Earthquake Insurance Bill

Nov 8 2013 // Following a rash of earthquakes, a state lawmaker says he plans to file a bill to require insurance companies to notify Oklahomans whether their policies cover property damage caused by earthquakes. Rep. Mike Shelton of...

Colorado Lawmakers Reviewing Flood Response

Nov 7 2013 // Colorado lawmakers are studying responses to September’s catastrophic floods. A special state legislative panel held its first meeting Tuesday. Members are looking at whether there’s a need for legislation to...

Senate Expected to Pass Gay Workplace Rights Bill Opposed by House

Nov 7 2013 // Most employers would be banned from firing, demoting or refusing to hire workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity under legislation in line for action today in the U.S. Senate.The measure, known as...