Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Brown Named Chief of Staff of Fla. Insurance Commission

Nov 19 2007 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty promoted Audrey Brown to the position of chief of staff with the Office of Insurance Regulation effective Nov. 19.Brown has served as the deputy chief of staff since June,...

16 Alabama Federal Judges Step Aside from Scruggs Contempt Case

Nov 19 2007 // Every eligible federal judge in north Alabama has stepped aside from presiding in the criminal contempt case of Mississippi trial lawyer Richard Scruggs, who is accused of disobeying an order by failing to turn over...

Insurance Isn’t Dull, Says Kiln’s Creasy

Nov 19 2007 // Kiln’s Chief Executive Edward Creasy in his speech to the Insurance Institute of London (IIL) this week, sent a strong, and much needed message. As reported on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) , he said...

Judge OKs Dana Corp.’s $2M Settlement with Asbestos Victims

Nov 19 2007 // Dana Corp. has won court approval to pay $2 million to settle personal-injury claims from 7,500 people who say they were sickened by Dana products that contained asbestos.Judge Burton Lifland of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court...

N.Y Vows Principles-Based Regulation

Nov 18 2007 // New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo has released a draft regulation that he says would make the New York Insurance Department the first in the nation to establish principles-based regulation. The draft includes...

Good Things Going on in West Virginia

Nov 18 2007 // When talk turns to insurance in West Virginia, inevitably workers’ compensation comes up. No one knows that better than Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline. In a recent interview with Insurance Journal‘s Andrew...

Recovery Steps

Nov 18 2007 // Washington has taken rare steps toward building a federal disaster plan. Not everyone agrees this is a good development but property owners in the Southeast should be watching closely as they could be among the most...

Disaster Recovery

Nov 18 2007 // Disaster recovery still is very much on the minds of property owners and insurers in the South Central region despite relatively mild back-to-back catastrophe years.Louisiana has a long way to go before the state can say...

Insurers Facing More Frequent, More Expensive Lawsuits

Nov 18 2007 // The legal landscape may generally be changing for the better — but not necessarily for insurers, according to a recent survey by Fulbright & Jaworski. In its survey based on interviews with in-house counsel at 250...

Defeat for Insurance Industry; Wash. Voters Approve Referendum 67

Nov 18 2007 // Much to many insurance companies’ dismay, Washington voters approved Referendum 67, with 520,667 or 57 percent of voters in favor of the initiative to allow insureds to collect triple damages if their insurer...

Keep the McCarran-Ferguson Act Insurance Exemption

Nov 18 2007 // Federal antitrust laws are intended to ensure a competitive market by prohibiting companies from acting in concert with each other, such as through price-fixing or sharing arrangements that exclude other competitors. The...

Congress Considers Disaster Legislation to Alleviate Coastal Insurance Crisis

Nov 18 2007 // Disaster legislation is hot on the minds of congressional leaders this month as a handful of bills made their way to both the House and the Senate addressing the issue. Some legislation takes aim at making the property...

Residential Woes Continue Over EIFS

Nov 18 2007 // The use of the exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), also referred to as “synthetic stucco,” in construction is nothing new to commercial or residential builders.EIFS, a multi-layered exterior structure...

Senate Approves Terrorism Backstop Extension

Nov 16 2007 // The Senate today passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (TRIPRA) of 2007, legislation that will extend the federal terrorism insurance backstop. The current federal terrorism reinsurance program...

Mich. Senate: Lawmakers Must Work Longer for Health Benefits at 55

Nov 15 2007 // MIchigan Lawmakers no longer would get full health care coverage in retirement for just six years of work under legislation recently approved in the state Senate.After serving six years, current legislators get 90 percent...

DCBS Taps Kipper To Lead Ore. Insurance Division

Nov 15 2007 // The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has named Scott Kipper administrator of its Insurance Division, DCBS Director Cory Streisinger announced. Kipper replaces Joel Ario, who left in July to become...

Agents Tell Treasury Financial Regulation Study Questions Biased

Nov 15 2007 // A notice published in the Federal Register seeking comments for a broad Treasury Department review of financial regulation is biased in favor of federal regulation of insurance and foreign business entities, according to...

Circuit Court Ruling Strikes Down Illinois’ Medical Liability Reform Law

Nov 14 2007 // A Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court ruling yesterday that strikes down the state’s 2005 medical liability reform law by calling the caps on non-economic damages for medical malpractice lawsuits unconstitutional is...

Bill Would Provide Incentives for States to Enforce Stronger Building Codes

Nov 14 2007 // States that already have a mandatory statewide building code and have enforcement measures in place would be eligible for an additional 4 percent of federal disaster relief funds under recently introduced federal...

Senate Bills Offer Tax Credits, Loans to Help Property Owners Hit by Disasters

Nov 13 2007 // Saying he believes that immediate assistance is needed for those living near coastal areas who are grappling with skyrocketing property insurance premiums, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking,...