Latest Legislation Headlines

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

News Currents

Apr 9 2007 // Mass. auto report offers map to move state to limited price competitionAlso, advises against assigned risk pool change at this time and against erasing subsidies or allowing credit scoring A special auto insurance study...

News Currents

Apr 9 2007 // Mass. extends deadline for residents to buy health coverageThe board that oversees Massachusetts’ landmark health insurance law voted last month to delay key elements of the plan by a year and a half to give...

News Currents

Apr 9 2007 // Mo. Court dismisses homeowners’ lawsuits alleging discriminationAttorneys for a group of homeowners said they will continue the fight after a federal judge dismissed their lawsuits charging some of the nation’s...

Editor’s Note: Perils of Citizens’ policy

Apr 9 2007 // As Florida lawmakers continue to deal with insurance problems, the insurance industry is not the only interest calling on them to look before they leap and avoid making matters worse for property owners, taxpayers and the...

News Currents

Apr 9 2007 // S.C. expands wind pool to more coastal townsA state-run insurance program has been expanded slightly to provide relief for some South Carolina coastal homeowners grappling with skyrocketing premiums, and Gov. Mark Sanford...

Okla. judge orders new trial in Ford rollover lawsuit

Apr 9 2007 // A federal judge in Tulsa, Okla., ordered a new trial in a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co., finding improper conduct by a plaintiff’s attorney and vacating a $15 million jury award to a couple whose son was killed in a...

Handle customer data with care — it’s the law

Apr 9 2007 // Insurance agents and brokers constantly deal with customers’ personal information. Yet many in the industry may not be aware of the legal requirements for handling or storing this information.How should agents and...

On shaky ground?

Apr 9 2007 // Two decades since its formation, the West’s only regional catastrophe pool, the California Earthquake Authority, faces financial and management changes that could have significant implications for its future. Those...

News Currents

Apr 9 2007 // Multiple factors came together in 2002 and 2003 that led to increased political pressure and calls for more oversight of SCIF.Management shaken up, investigations ensue at Calif. State Fund California Gov. Arnold...

People

Apr 9 2007 // Marsh Inc. appointed chief operating officers for three of its core business sectors. The executives are: Patricia Hagemann, who has been named chief operating officer of the Americas; David Lessing, chief operating...

Judge rules Spitzer suit may continue; Liberty Mutual not giving up fight

Apr 9 2007 // News CurrentsLiberty Mutual has vowed to continue its court fight against charges begun by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer that it engaged in anti-competitive bid-rigging and broker compensation practices...

Bipartisan flood insurance ‘modernization’ bill boosts borrowing, maximum limits

Apr 9 2007 // News CurrentsU.S. Reps. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., introduced bipartisan legislation to revamp the National Flood Insurance Program that boosts the program’s borrowing authority to $21.5...

European Insurance Forum puts Ireland in the spotlight

Apr 9 2007 // Eighteen years ago an Irish insurance conference would have consisted of a broker and an underwriter from Dublin having a pint of Guinness in a pub (most likely in London). Times have changed. Since the founding of the...

A.M. Best cites 15 P/C insurers as financially impaired in 2006

Apr 9 2007 // Seventeen U.S. insurance companies became financially impaired in 2006, despite a respite for property/casualty insurers from two consecutive turbulent hurricane seasons and more diversified asset portfolios among...

Nebraska Senate Advances Bill Shielding Cities from Injury Lawsuits

Apr 6 2007 // Nebraska lawmakers broke a filibuster and gave first-round approval to a bill that could open parks that have closed following a state Supreme Court decision.State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha fought the bill (LB564) that...

N.J. Court Ruling Could Affect 10,000 Drunk Driving Cases

Apr 6 2007 // A breath test used in thousands of drunken driving cases in New Jersey went on trial this week, when the state Supreme Court considered whether the instrument provides reliable blood-alcohol level readings.The outcome will...

38 More Miss. Katrina Suits Settled in Mediation, Judge Reports

Apr 6 2007 // Thirty-eight more Hurricane Katrina insurance cases of Mississippi residents have been settled during court-order mediation, says U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr.More mediations will begin in May, according to...

Maine Gov. Baldacci Ready to ‘Re-energize’ Dirigo Health Plan

Apr 5 2007 // Maine Gov. John Baldacci planned a major health policy announcement this week that will focus on insurance market reforms, an expansion of the Dirigo Health program and new regulatory provisions, all designed to promote...

Insurers Support Tax-Free Savings Accounts for Natural Disasters

Apr 5 2007 // Legislation that would allow homeowners to set up tax-free savings accounts for natural disasters would go a long way toward encouraging them to prepare for catastrophes, according to a national insurer group.A proposal...

Pa. Lawmaker Wants to Curb Distractions for Teen Drivers

Apr 5 2007 // A Pennsylvania lawmaker said a new survey backs up her push for legislation to cut down on distractions for younger drivers by limiting the number of passengers they may carry.State Rep. Kathy Watson, R-Bucks, told a news...