Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Top New York Court to Decide Whether Towns Can Ban Fracking

Aug 29 2013 // New York’s highest court agreed to decide whether towns and cities have the power to pass anti-fracking laws.The Court of Appeals in Albany today said it will hear arguments in lawsuits seeking to block drilling bans...

Conn. Supreme Court Reverses Trial Court Ruling, Says Acordia Didn’t Breach CUIPA

Aug 28 2013 // The Connecticut Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of Acordia insurance brokerage Monday.The Connecticut Supreme Court, the state’s highest court, reversed a lower trial court’s 2010 ruling that previously...

Judge Denies BP’s Bid to Halt Gulf Oil Spill Payments Pending Investigation

Aug 28 2013 // BP Plc lost a renewed bid to suspend payments from the court-supervised program administering its settlement of claims tied to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.An investigation of alleged wrongdoing at the Mobile,...

Texas Fire Marshal: Inspections Refused Since West Blast

Aug 28 2013 // Five facilities in Texas with large quantities of the same fertilizer chemical that fueled the deadly plant explosion in West have turned away state fire marshal inspectors since the blast, investigators said.A railway...

Oklahoma Speaker Lays out Guidelines for Tort Reform Session

Aug 27 2013 // Oklahoma lawmakers will likely take up more than two dozen bills when they convene at the state Capitol next month for a special session dealing with tort legislation, according to House Speaker T.W. Shannon.Shannon,...

Indiana Lawmaker Wants to Lower Rates Homeowners Pay to Insurance Fund

Aug 27 2013 // A state lawmaker concerned about Indiana’s recent move to dip into a fund set aside for repairs to homes damaged by soil shifting above old coal mines wants the state’s insurance commissioner to lower the...

California Assembly Panel Passes Bill On Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Aug 27 2013 // Some victims of childhood sexual abuse would have one more year to file civil lawsuits against private or nonprofit organizations that employed their alleged abusers under a bill that passed a key legislative committee...

Massachusetts High Court Rules for Horace Mann in Policy Reformation Case

Aug 26 2013 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, recently ruled in favor of an insurance carrier in a case involving a mutual misunderstanding by both the homeowners policyholder and an insurance...

Florida Schools Open with More Armed Security

Aug 26 2013 // In the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pembroke Pines, students returning to school this year are being greeted not only by their teachers and principal. They’re also meeting the armed school resource officer who will be...

Judge Dismisses Harassment Claim Against Chef Paula Deen

Aug 26 2013 // A federal judge on Friday dismissed the final component of a racial discrimination and sexual harassment case against celebrity chef Paula Deen that has cost the Southern culinary star a big chunk of her...

Judges: PG&E Improperly Declared 2 Pipelines Safe in California

Aug 22 2013 // Two judges are threatening to fine Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for improperly declaring two natural-gas pipelines in Northern California safe and using misleading regulatory filings to minimize the problem.The San...

Judges Reject Challenge to Texas State Farm Rates

Aug 21 2013 // Two administrative law judges have rejected a consumer challenge to a recent 20-percent rate hike for Texas homeowners covered by State Farm Lloyd’s.The judges decided on Aug. 19 that the premiums for 1.2 million...

A Roundup of Maryland’s New Insurance Laws From 2013 Legislative Session

Aug 21 2013 // The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a bulletin this week summarizing new insurance legislation from the Maryland General Assembly’s 2013 session that have been signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley....

Prior Approval of Auto Rates Does Not Benefit Consumers: Study

Aug 21 2013 // The prior-approval rate regulation of auto insurance is considered an unnecessary and ineffective approach, according to a new industry study.Risk and insurance experts responding to the survey conducted by the Insurance...

Former Kentucky Lawmaker Nunn Liable for $23M in Ex-Fiance Slaying

Aug 21 2013 // A judge in Lexington ruled that former Kentucky lawmaker Steve Nunn is liable for nearly $24 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of his slain ex-fiancee.Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael...

West Virginia High Court Caseload Drop Tied to Workers’ Comp Reform

Aug 21 2013 // The number of filings in the state Supreme Court reached its lowest level in more than 25 years in 2012, according to a report presented to West Virginia lawmakers.The report by court clerk Rory Perry says there were 1,524...

Illinois Governor Signs Gun Law on Background Checks, Thefts

Aug 20 2013 // Illinois gun owners who fail to report the theft or loss of a weapon will face tougher restrictions under a new law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.The law closes a background check loophole for the sale or transfer of a firearm...

Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund Withdraws Proposal to Gain Policy Rights

Aug 19 2013 // The Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF) — the auto insurance market of last resort in Maryland — last week withdrew its proposal to gain “sole and exclusive property” rights to all MAIF...

Lead Company Wants Missouri Lawmakers to Override Veto of Liability Cap

Aug 19 2013 // A Missouri lead company has launched an aggressive effort to persuade lawmakers to override a gubernatorial veto of a bill that would shield it from large punitive damages in liability lawsuits.The Doe Run Co. contends...

Stilt Houses in Greenwich, Conn., Foreshadow Impact of New Flood Maps

Aug 19 2013 // In the coastal areas of Greenwich, Connecticut, the latest housing craze requires hydraulic jacks, pylons and stilts. One home towers over its neighbors like a cruise ship. Others look like expensive tree...