Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Montana Court Upholds Notice Rule in Lawsuits Against Bars

Jan 7 2010 // A sharply divided Montana Supreme Court has upheld a state law that requires someone planning to sue a bar over liability in a drunken driving crash to notify the bar within 180 days of the crash.The Supreme Court issued...

Democrats Optimistic on Health Care Bill Prospect

Jan 6 2010 // House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she was sure Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate would produce a final health care reform plan that would hold insurers accountable and make medical coverage...

Sen. Dodd Announces Plans to Retire

Jan 6 2010 // Veteran Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd said Wednesday he will not seek re-election in November in recognition that he faced an uphill battle and underscoring upheaval facing President Barack Obama’s...

CNA Chief Motamed: What’s Ahead for CNA, Economy, Industry

Jan 6 2010 // After 30 years at Chubb Corp, Thomas Motamed joined Chicago-based commercial lines insurer CNA Financial in January 2009 as chairman and CEO. In this edited interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrew Simpson, Motamed...

New York Plans First Steps to Creating Lloyd’s Competitor

Jan 6 2010 // New York regulators are aggressively pursuing plans for a reincarnation of the New York Insurance Exchange and expect to assemble a “working group” of industry insiders within the next two weeks who will guide...

Two Proposals to Amend New New Hampshire Sprinkler Regulations

Jan 5 2010 // The New Hampshire Legislature is expected to consider two bills that would prevent the state from enforcing amendments to building codes that expand requirements for sprinkler systems.Last month the Building Code Review...

California Appeals Court Upholds Right to Challenge Insurance Rates

Jan 5 2010 // Insurance companies must pay the legal costs of consumer challenges to insurance rate increases, even if they withdraw or settle challenges to rate applications before a formal hearing on their application is called, a...

Car Insurance Premiums to Rise for Many Louisiana Drivers

Dec 31 2009 // A law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010, increasing the required minimum liability auto insurance coverage is expected to increase insurance rates for more than 1 million Louisiana motorists. Though the change was...

January 1 Is Deadline for ‘Fire Safe’ Cigarettes in Texas

Dec 30 2009 // As of Jan. 1, 2010, all cigarettes sold in Texas must be certified fire standard compliant (FSC), the Texas Department of Insurance and the State Fire Marshal’s Office announced.All FSC cigarettes will be marked near...

Few Lawmakers Support Tougher Nebraska Liquor Liability Law

Dec 29 2009 // Few Nebraska lawmakers participating in an Associated Press survey say they support legislation making liquor license holders liable for serving intoxicated customers who leave their establishments and hurt themselves or...

Michigan Auto Insurance Bills Stall As Senate Adjourns Without Acting

Dec 28 2009 // The Michigan Senate adjourned before Christmas without taking action on a property/casualty insurance bill package already passed by the House of Representatives.The package would, among other things, give the insurance...

Oregon Announces Insurance Aid for Laid Off Workers

Dec 24 2009 // Oregonians who have been laid off from their jobs can continue to receive help paying for health insurance into 2010. The Insurance Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services is adopting emergency rules...

Florida Judge Approves Liquidation of First Warranty

Dec 22 2009 // A Circuit Court judge in Florida’s Leon County has ordered the warranty company, Intercontinental Marine Service Corp., which does business as First Warranty Group of Florida, into liquidation.The company, with...

Truth or Lore? Insurance ‘Factorama’ Explores the Known and Little-Known

Dec 20 2009 // It’s the end of the decade that apparently has no name as yet, but that doesn’t stop those of us at Insurance Journal from looking back at the past 10 years and beyond for known and little-known insurance...

Economies Slowly Recovering; Climate Change Negotiators Still Talking

Dec 20 2009 // Swiss Re’s recent Economic Forum at the reinsurer’s iconic London headquarters presented a far more encouraging picture of the world’s financial condition than a year ago. Thomas Hess, Swiss Re’s...

P/C Industry Certain to Face Uncertainty in 2010 and Beyond

Dec 20 2009 // The insurance industry may not see a return to relative stability and certainty for a few years as it reacts to the effects of regulatory reform, increased government intervention and potential tax law changes in the...

Judge Sets Stanford Trial for 2011; Again Asked to Compel Insurance

Dec 18 2009 // Alleged swindler Allen Stanford will spend more than a year in custody after a U.S. judge Thursday set his criminal trial for January 2011.“This criminal case is going to get under way and it is going to go on...

Congress Weighs Restoring Wall Between Banking, Insurance

Dec 17 2009 // Financial giants such as Goldman Sachs Group could be broken up under two bills introduced in the U.S. Congress Wednesday, one with the backing of former Republican presidential nominee John McCain.Both would reinstate the...

Michigan House Passes Auto Insurance Reform Legislation

Dec 17 2009 // An insurance trade group says a bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives threatens to increase auto insurance costs and harm the state’s job market and economy.The Property Casualty Insurers Association...

Judge Rules for Lloyd’s In Dispute Over Stanford’s Insurance

Dec 17 2009 // A federal judge in Houston found accused swindler Allen Stanford and his attorneys in contempt of a court order Wednesday over their attempts to collect insurance policy proceeds to pay defense costs.No sanctions were...