Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Stine Sworn in as Nebraska Workers’ Comp Court Judge

Oct 7 2011 // Judge Tom Stine has been sworn in to serve on the bench of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. Attorney General Jon Bruning opened and officiated the swearing-in ceremony, which took place in the Nebraska State...

California Fights Regulation with Regulation

Oct 7 2011 // In an odd twist, California business groups applauded Governor Jerry Brown for signing legislation Thursday to create a new layer of government regulation they say will lessen the burdens imposed by future regulations.The...

Mass. Agents Gathering Signatures for Insurance Credit Score Ban

Oct 6 2011 // A Massachusetts independent agents group said it is confident that banning auto insurers’ use of credit scores and other socioeconomic factors will become a state law in coming months.The Massachusetts Association of...

Florida Lawmakers Contemplate the Future of Citizens

Oct 6 2011 // With four months to go before Florida’s legislative session, lawmakers are already considering the future of the state’s largest homeowners’ insurer. However, there are few easy answers in sight.Citizens...

Republican Report Backs Incentives for Corporate Cybersecurity

Oct 6 2011 // A Republican task force in the House said Congress should give companies incentives to boost their cyber defenses, but that tougher regulation may be warranted to protect critical facilities like power and water...

Deutsch Bank Head Sees ‘Fundamental Reassessment’ of Financial Industry

Oct 5 2011 // Dr. Josef Ackermann’s keynote speech to delegates at the Risk Management Forum of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) basically described the global financial system as broken and in need...

Federal Flood Insurance Program Extended Until Nov. 18

Oct 4 2011 // The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation that keeps the government – and the federal flood insurance program– running until Nov. 18, 2011.The House vote (352-66) extends the National Flood...

Brown Signs Insurance Bill to Clarify Bond Requirements

Oct 4 2011 // California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that makes several changes to various state insurance code sections regarding agent licensing and training, administrative processes and previously enacted legislation.Assembly...

Florida Commercial Lines Deregulation Law Takes Effect

Oct 3 2011 // Commercial insurers in Florida will no longer have to seek prior approval from state regulators before changing some of the rates they charge under a new law that took effect October 1.Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers...

Cross Border Claims Frustrate Auto Carriers

Oct 3 2011 // Staged automobile accidents in Canada’s most populated province of Ontario pose a unique problem for American auto insurers that must deal with Ontario’s stringent no-fault benefits.Some U.S.-based adjusters...

Mass. Agents Prepare for Battle Over Credit Ban on Ballot

Oct 3 2011 // A Massachusetts independent agents group said it is confident that a ban on auto insurers’ use of credit scores and other socioeconomic factors will become a state law in coming months.The Massachusetts Association...

Judge Lets Agent Orange Case Against Monsanto Proceed

Sep 29 2011 // Monsanto Co. has lost a bid to close part of a lawsuit alleging the company caused health injuries to residents living near a plant that made the Vietnam War-era U.S. military defoliant “Agent Orange.”Monsanto,...

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Seeks Exchange Support

Sep 28 2011 // Arkansas’ top insurance official has asked lawmakers to support the state’s application for a nearly $3.8 million grant to plan for creating an insurance marketplace under the health care law, money that Gov....

Judge Narrows $1B Madoff Case vs. N.Y. Mets Owners

Sep 28 2011 // A federal judge narrowed a $1 billion lawsuit against owners of the New York Mets baseball team by the trustee seeking money for Bernard Madoff’s victims, and cast skepticism on how much might ultimately be...

One Frustrated Florida County Tackles Auto Insurance Fraud On Its Own

Sep 27 2011 // One county in Florida has decided not to wait on state lawmakers’ promise to address the insurance fraud and fix the state’s automobile no-fault law. It has passed its own ordinance to crack down on fraudulent...

Pennsylvania Liquor Tax Should Go to Disaster Relief Fund: Lawmaker

Sep 27 2011 // A western Pennsylvania lawmaker is proposing to divert some of the money from the “Johnstown Flood Tax” on alcohol back to its original purpose — flood and other disaster relief.Sen. John Wozniak, D-Cambria,...

Citing Scope of 9/11, N.Y. Judge Tosses WTC Suit

Sep 26 2011 // In tossing out a negligence lawsuit, a judge last Friday cited the “strange, improbable” events that destroyed a 47-story World Trade Center building a decade ago on Sept. 11, several hours after the 110-story...

Senate Poised to Defeat House Spending, Disaster Aid Bill

Sep 23 2011 // With aid to disaster victims running out, the U.S. Senate Democratic leader Friday vowed to hold a quick vote to defeat a House-passed spending bill, clearing the way for negotiations to avoid a government shutdown.Senate...

Insurer Group NAMIC Names Illinois Rep. Biggert ‘Legislator of Year’

Sep 21 2011 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) presented the Federal Legislator of the Year Award to U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., at its annual convention in Indianapolis.‘Rep. Biggert is a...

Google Urges Judge Reject Oracle’s $2.2B Patent Damages Claim

Sep 21 2011 // Google Inc. urged a federal judge to reject an Oracle Corp expert’s recommendation that it pay more than $2.2 billion for infringing on patents for Java technology used in the Android operating system.U.S. District...