Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Pro-Gun Advocates Claim Victory in Oklahoma Session

May 15 2012 // Advocates for expanded gun rights in Oklahoma are claiming success in the 2012 legislative session after the passage of several pro-gun measures, including one that allows permit holders to openly carry firearms.The...

Judge Dismisses Part of Lawsuit Over Birds Point Levee

May 15 2012 // A federal judge has dismissed a large portion of a class-action lawsuit brought by more than 140 southeast Missouri farmers whose land was damaged when Birds Point levee was intentionally breached last year.Judge Nancy B....

Judge Denies Delay of BofA Directors’ $20 Million Settlement Over Merrill

May 15 2012 // A U.S. federal judge in New York on Monday refused to delay the approval process for a controversial $20 million settlement between Bank of America Corp. directors and shareholders who accused the bank of overpaying for...

New Law in Oklahoma Toughens Penalties for Insurance Fraud

May 14 2012 // A bill recently passed and signed by the governor toughens the penalties for insurance fraud, state officials say.Senate Bill 1439, requested by Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak, is expected to save taxpayers...

R.I. Court Rules on Designated Drivers’ Liability

May 14 2012 // Rhode Island’s Supreme Court has ruled that designated drivers are not responsible for what their drunken passengers do after giving them rides. Last Thursday’s ruling involved a 2005 crash in Scituate that...

New York Judge Orders Anonymous Blogger into Court Over Business Reports

May 14 2012 // A New York judge has ordered an anonymous blogger to appear in court next week over accusations that the blog Alfredlittle.com wrote false reports about a Chinese company to drive down the stock.The blogger was served with...

Schwab Loses Bid to Halt Regulatory Discipline Over Right to Sue

May 13 2012 // A federal court judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit by Charles Schwab Corp. that sought to stop its regulator from bringing a disciplinary case against the company for trying to take away customers’ rights to sue it...

Judge to Insurer: Pay Legal Fees in Pending Insider Trading Fraud Case

May 11 2012 // A federal judge said during a court hearing in New York on Thursday he is prepared to order an insurance company to keep paying the legal fees of several former hedge fund managers and traders caught up in an insider...

Judge: Mississippi Lawyer Owes Diet Drug Claimants $600K

May 10 2012 // A judge has ruled that a Jackson attorney owes two former clients a combined $600,000 from more than $4.5 million in attorney fees he received in a diet drug settlement case dating to the early 2000s.The Clarion-Ledger...

Florida Looks to Fix Loophole in PIP Reform Law

May 9 2012 // Florida regulators are scrambling to fix a loophole in the state’s new auto no-fault insurance law that could affect medical payments to health care providers and trigger a spate of lawsuits against the law.Florida...

Alabama Governor Signs Texting Ban; Expects to Sign Home Insurance Bills

May 9 2012 // Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed into law a measure (HB 2) that prohibits texting while driving.“Signing this bill sends a message that drivers need to focus on driving – not on sending a text,” Bentley...

Duplicate Regulation Drives Up Commercial Premiums, Says Iowa Researcher

May 8 2012 // Buyers of commercial liability insurance pay as much as 31 percent more in insurer compliance costs if their insurance company has to comply with regulations from multiple states instead of just a single regulator,...

Missouri Efforts to Expand Texting Law Again Fall Short

May 7 2012 // Late last year, federal safety officials made a deadly crash in rural eastern Missouri a focal point in a nationwide call to ban drivers from using their cellphones while behind the wheel.The National Transportation Safety...

Florida Revises Workers’ Comp Certificates, Excess Profits, Premium Audit Laws

May 7 2012 // Florida’s governor has signed workers’ compensation legislation streamlining the workers’ compensation certificate process, eliminating mandatory premium audits, and discontinuing refunds for insurers...

N.J. Judge to Decide If Text Sender Liable for Car Crash

May 7 2012 // A New Jersey judge will likely soon decide whether a woman who sent a text message to a male friend can be held liable for a car crash he caused while reading the message.The Daily Record reports the legal question stems...

Conn. Senate OKs Bill on Utilities’ Storm Response

May 7 2012 // The state Senate on Saturday, May 5, approved a wide-ranging bill that attempts to address many of the problems that developed last year when Connecticut was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Irene in August and again by an...

California Workers’ Comp Reform Taking Shape – Again

May 7 2012 // At a recent joint hearing in Sacramento on workers’ compensation in California with the Assembly and Senate, statistic after statistic flew out of the mouths of speaker after speaker during the nearly four-hour...

Clipping the Wings of Fly-by-Night Contractors

May 7 2012 // Approximately one year ago, on Sunday, May 22, 2011, at about 5:30 p.m., Joplin, Mo., was devastated by a massive EF 5 tornado that at times was 1 mile wide and traveled on the ground for more than 20 miles. This storm,...

OSHA Hit for Taking Too Long to Adopt Workplace Safety Rules

May 7 2012 // The nation’s premier worker safety agency takes nearly eight years on average to adopt new safety regulations, government auditors said in a report.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration takes far too long...

Mississippi Judge Declares Damages Cap Unconstitutional

May 7 2012 // A state judge in Mississippi’s Coahoma County has declared a legislatively imposed cap on non-economic damages unconstitutional.Circuit Judge Charles Webster issued the ruling April 20 in a 14-page opinion. He...