Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Trial Date Set to Challenge New Texas Fraud Law

Sep 17 2009 // Recently enacted legislation that seeks to criminalize present day ambulance chasing is under attack by a small group of health professionals and lawyers who want to continue the practice, says the Texas Committee on...

Ex-Lawmaker Nunn Charged with Kentucky Insurance Employee Death

Sep 16 2009 // Lexington police have charged former Kentucky lawmaker Steve Nunn with murder the death of his ex-girlfriend.Nunn, 56, was also charged with violation of a protective order. Lexington police said warrants were served on...

Text: Sen. Baucus Introduces to Senate Financial Committee Health Bill

Sep 16 2009 // The following announcment was released by the office of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D,Mont.).Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D,Mont.) today introduced the America’s Healthy Future Act,...

Text: Senate Finance Committee’s America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009

Sep 16 2009 // Chairman’s Mark America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 Scheduled for Markup By the Senate Committee on Finance On September 22, 2009 America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 TITLE I—HEALTH CARE...

Obama Gives Proponents Hope for Medical Malpractice Reform

Sep 14 2009 // Following President Barack Obama’s offer of compromise on an issue that has long divided Washington, congressional health care negotiators are considering proposals to foster alternatives to medical malpractice...

California Court Rules for Surplus Lines Insurers on Taxes

Sep 11 2009 // A Los Angeles court has ruled that surplus lines insurers need not pay California’s 2.3 percent of gross premiums tax that admitted insurers pay, as well as the 3 percent surplus lines-premiums tax the state...

Missouri Judge Blocks Firing of 3 Workers’ Comp Judges

Sep 11 2009 // A Missouri judge has blocked the firing of three administrative law judges who decide workers’ compensation cases, saying the state could not eliminate their jobs as part of budget cuts.Cole County Judge Jon Beetem...

California Issues Regulations for Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance

Sep 10 2009 // California’s insurance commissioner, Steven Poizner, has issued final pay-as-you-drive regulations, which will enable insurers to offer consumers rates that are based on actual miles driven as opposed to estimated...

House Passes Surplus Lines Reform Legislation

Sep 9 2009 // The House of Representatives passed HR 2571, the Non-Admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2009 on Wednesday.The bill, authored by Reps. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., and Scott Garrett, R-N.J, will simplify the tax remittance and...

New Law Boosts Penalties for Drunk Driving in Oklahoma

Sep 9 2009 // A new state law in Oklahoma provides greater protection for children endangered by drunk drivers.Senate Bill 1139, by state Sen. Mary Easley and state Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, allows drunk drivers to face felony...

Insurance Regulators Vow to Examine Role of Credit Rating Agencies

Sep 9 2009 // The nation’s insurance regulators are looking into the role that credit rating agencies play in the insurance regulatory system.The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) said it will hold a public...

White House Calls for ‘Urgency’ on Financial Regulation Reform

Sep 8 2009 // The Obama administration’s ambitious plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation was bogged down in Congress as it returned from a long recess Tuesday.With no clear path forward in the Senate, analysts and lobbyists...

Alabama Uncertain If Small Business Tax Break Is Boosting Health Insurance

Sep 8 2009 // Craig Bacheler is able to offer the employees at his small Alabama IT firm health benefits because of a new state law, but some who helped push for the law say it is too early to measure its benefits.Small companies, those...

Federal Judge Rules Michigan College Coach Immune to Player Suit

Sep 8 2009 // A federal judge has dismissed parts of a lawsuit against Central Michigan University and its women’s basketball coach, who is accused of dropping a scholarship partly because a player isn’t a lesbian.U.S....

Colorado Officials Defend Pinnacol Actions

Sep 8 2009 // Executives from Colorado’s state-chartered workers’ compensation insurance company defended themselves against accusations of lavish spending and excess profits on Friday and they told lawmakers it would be...

Oklahoma Considers Privatizing State-backed Workers’ Comp Insurer

Sep 8 2009 // In a recent meeting of a task force considering privatizing Oklahoma’s state-backed workers’ compensation insurer, CompSource Oklahoma, Nevada insurance executives said workers’ comp rates have dropped in...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Sep 7 2009 // Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly even rapists.They got their producer licenses in states that did...

Small Businesses Confront Big Cyber Risks

Sep 7 2009 // The theft of personal and private data — from credit card information, to Social Security numbers, to health information, is a thriving global crime — and it is fed by data security breaches that cost companies...

Small Businesses Confront Big Cyber Risks

Sep 7 2009 // The theft of personal and private data — from credit card information, to Social Security numbers, to health information, is a thriving global crime — and it is fed by data security breaches that cost companies...

Colorado’s Pinnacol Under Scrutiny

Sep 7 2009 // Colorado’s dominant workers compensation insurer is defending its spending on travel and entertainment for its agents, telling Colorado lawmakers it’s good for morale and helps lower costs in the long...