Latest Legislation Headlines

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

House Panel to Begin Airing Insurance Regulatory Reform Proposals Today

Oct 3 2007 // Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, will hold a hearing today on the need for insurance regulatory reform .This...

Judge Dismises Corruption Charges Against Marsh, Brokers, Insurers

Oct 2 2007 // The same federal judge who early in September dismissed all federal antitrust charges against Marsh & McLennan Companies and a group of other brokers and insurers has now thrown out all related federal charges of...

Pa. Judge Accused of Bilking Insurers to Take His Defense to Trial

Oct 2 2007 // Suspended Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Michael T. Joyce intends to stand trial on federal money laundering and mail fraud charges, according to his lawyer.Attorney David Ridge refused to comment on the defense...

No Consensus for Alabama Special Session on Coastal Insurance

Oct 2 2007 // Alabama legislators unveiled a law designed to help the Gulf Coast real estate industry and coastal homeowners hit by high insurance rates but Gov. Bob Riley said there is no current consensus to address it in a special...

FERMA Conference Opens in Geneva

Oct 2 2007 // More than 1200 participants assembled Monday morning at Geneva’s International Conference Center for the fifth Forum of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA). Delegates were welcomed by...

Mo. Governor: 2006 Med Mal Report Shows Positive Results

Oct 2 2007 // The medical malpractice insurance market has stabilized following escalating medical malpractice costs that caused a downturn in the market from 1999 – 2003, according to the 2006 Medical Malpractice Report recently...

N.Y. Judge Dismisses Suit over Gauguin Painting Appraisal

Oct 1 2007 // A judge has dismissed a lawsuit over a small landscape painting by Paul Gauguin which a buyer said was appraised at millions of dollars above its value by a well-known dealer who had “an ownership interest” in...

N.D. Commissioner’s Departure Sparks Debate on Conflict of Interest

Oct 1 2007 // Consumer spokesmen want a national group of insurance regulators to toughen its conflict-of-interest policies, in part because of questions raised by last month’s resignation of former North Dakota Insurance...

Speaker Asks Gov. to Add No-Fault to Florida Special Session

Sep 30 2007 // Florida House of Representatives Speaker Marco Rubio asked Gov. Charlie Crist to add auto insurance and property tax relief to the Legislature’s special session on budget-cutting next week after Senate President Ken...

Regulators Move to Align U.S. Reinsurance Regulation with Foreign

Sep 30 2007 // The nation’s insurance regulators are moving to modernize reinsurance regulation in the United States.The proposal — developed by a subgroup of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC)...

More States Join Centralized Insurer Market Conduct Exam Initiative

Sep 30 2007 // Alabama, California, Montana, Rhode Island and Washington will begin requiring insurance companies to file annual statement data as part of a growing effort to make market conduct exams more efficient that now includes 30...

Scruggs Asks Alabama Judge to Throw Out Katrina-Related Charge

Sep 30 2007 // Mississippi trial lawyer Richard Scruggs has asked a federal judge to throw out a charge accusing him of criminal contempt in a dispute related to insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina.In court papers made public last...

The Offshore Tax Debate – Déjà vu – All over Again

Sep 28 2007 // At least that’s how Yogi Berra might describe it. On Sept. 25 William R. Berkley, chairman and CEO of the company of the same name, gave a detailed indictment before the Senate Finance Committee of the iniquities...

Utah Mine Commission Hears Testimony

Sep 28 2007 // Local miners told the Utah Mine Safety Commission that more regulations would do little to improve safety at the state’s mines.The commission was formed by Gov. Jon Huntsman to explore whether Utah should begin...

House-Passed Flood Insurance Bill Includes Windstorm, Business Interruption Options

Sep 28 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of purchasing windstorm coverage as part of their flood policy.The legislation...

Democrats Push OSHA to Regulate Worksites with Popcorn Flavoring

Sep 28 2007 // That buttery taste and smell of microwave popcorn may have caused a deadly lung disease in workers who package it. While there’s no evidence of any danger to the millions of people who eat it, Congress is taking...

Kan. Lawmakers: More Help Needed in Disaster Areas

Sep 27 2007 // Lawmakers need to help pay for replacement housing and assist businesses that want to locate in areas devastated by tornado and flood damage, two legislative leaders told a legislative committee Tuesday.Senate Majority...

Insurers Outline Consequences of No-Fault Law Expiration in Florida

Sep 27 2007 // For the vast majority of policyholders, nothing will change on Oct. 1. Policyholders will still maintain the insurance coverage they had in place on Sept. 30 for the duration of their contract.Auto insurance policies are...

R.I. Fire Board Urged to Update Fire Codes without Legislation

Sep 27 2007 // The Rhode Island state board responsible for overseeing Rhode Island’s fire code should update its own regulations and should seek change through the General Assembly only as a “last resort,” said Senate...

Supreme Court to Hear Case Pitting Federal v. State Product Liability Law

Sep 27 2007 // The Supreme Court said this week that it will decide a case that centers on whether federal regulation of pharmaceuticals preempts state law.The case involves a product liability lawsuit against Pfizer’s...