Latest Legislation Headlines

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

N.H. Chief Justice Hopes to Open Business Court This Year

Jun 11 2008 // New Hampshire’s chief justice is praising a new law that allows the state to create a business court and he’s hoping to have the new court operating this year.The court would handle only complaints between...

Federal Judge: Mississippi Attorney General Conspired with Trial Lawyer

Jun 9 2008 // Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood wrongly conspired with prominent trial attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs to skirt a court order in a case involving Hurricane Katrina insurance claims, a federal judge...

Nebraska High Court Rules Against Florida in 10 Year Old Case

Jun 9 2008 // A multimillion-dollar insurance dispute that’s a decade old received new life on its third trip to the Nebraska Supreme Court because the court ordered a new trial on June 6.Consequently, the state of Florida...

California Lawmakers Address Disaster Response, Automative Repair, and More

Jun 6 2008 // California lawmakers recently approved several insurance-related bills, addressing such topics as disaster response and automative repair following a crash. Following is a summary of recent legislation, as provided by the...

California Court Rules Smoker’s Claim is ‘Time Barred’

Jun 5 2008 // A U.S. District Curt in California recently ruled that a smoker’s claim against cigarette manufacturers Philip Morris USA, Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Lorillard Tobacco Co. and Brown & Williamson Holdings...

U.S. Lawmakers Question Regulators on Vehicle Roof Strength Rules

Jun 5 2008 // U.S. auto safety regulators Wednesday told lawmakers they need more time to develop a tougher standard for vehicle roofs to ensure that adding more weight and headroom would not cause more vehicles to roll over.Some...

House Panel to Hear Federal Insurance Office Proposal June 10

Jun 5 2008 // A House subcommittee has scheduled a hearing next week into a proposal to create a federal insurance information agency in Washington, D.C.Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa., chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital...

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Debate Use of ‘Independent Contractor’ Label

Jun 5 2008 // A bill to punish builders that avoid worker’s compensation fees and other costs by wrongly classifying workers as independent contractors was amended on the Pennsylvania House floor on Tuesday.The legislation aims to...

Willis Risk Manager Conference Examines Brazil, China Energy Sector

Jun 4 2008 // Willis recently hosted a conference of senior risk managers from the US oil and gas industry at its inaugural Global Risk Challenge seminar in Houston. They concentrated on finding out more about some of the major...

Court Turns Maryland Condo Insurance Upside Down

Jun 3 2008 // A dispute over $6,400 in damage to a Maryland townhouse led to an unexpected court decision that has reversed 26 years of standard industry practice, and left insurers, agents, lawmakers and condominium associations...

California Regulator Says Insurance Needs Local Regulation, More Modernization

Jun 3 2008 // Insurance is best regulated at the local level. That’s the opinion of California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, who shared his views during his welcome address to the National Association of Insurance...

Okla. Lawmaker With Insurance Industry Ties Won’t Run Again

Jun 2 2008 // Ron Peterson, the Oklahoma lawmaker who blocked health insurance mandates after getting thousands of dollars in contributions from insurance companies, is only one of a growing list of Republican House leaders opting to...

Tornado Warning Sirens Send Illinois Lawmakers Running for Cover

Jun 2 2008 // Tornado warning sirens chased lawmakers to the statehouse basement, a semitrailer was blown from a roadway and homes and an airport building were damaged as severe storms battered parts of Illinois and Indiana on late on...

Florida Regulator Issues Final Order in Hartford Rate Challenge

Jun 2 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty affirmed the ruling of an administrative law judge regarding the rate filing challenge between the Office of Insurance Regulation and The Hartford Companies.McCarty’s...

Bermuda Insurance Regulator to Beef Up Staffing

Jun 2 2008 // Bermuda’s insurance regulator is increasing staffing by as much as 50 percent as it sets its sights on eventually reaching a mutual recognition agreement with other domiciles, executives at an insurance conference...

NAIC: Don’t Pack Your Bags Just Yet

Jun 2 2008 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) currently makes its home in America’s heartland, in Kansas City. In this age of telecommuting, videoconferencing and e-mail that works just fine. It even...

Declarations

Jun 2 2008 // Insurance Industry Move“Shortly after September 11, it became very clear to me that the federal government lacks the expertise it needs on insurance policy. Our experiences after Hurricane Katrina and the ongoing...

GINA: A Solution in Search of a Problem?

Jun 2 2008 // Congress passed — and the President signed — a bill prohibiting discrimination by health plans and employers based on an individual’s genetic makeup. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)...

Texas Review Board Says Insurance Department Works Well but Offers Changes

Jun 2 2008 // Texas Sunset Advisory Commission staff in a report released in May 2008 said the Texas Department of Insurance functions well but that the state’s “overall approach to insurance regulation” may need...

Insurance Companies Face Global Warming Claims

Jun 2 2008 // The industry is about to enter an era of global warming insurance claims. Scientists have been warning about the impact global warming could have if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. Because of a sense of urgency...