Latest Legislation Headlines

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

DFS Spokesperson Outlines New Licensing Changes, Requirements to PIA of Florida

Sep 29 2005 // Changes in Florida’s legislation during the spring session and new administrative changes requiring agency licensure or registration were detailed by Hazel Muhammad, bureau chief of Agent and Agency Licensing with...

N.Y. Law Takes Bigger Bite Out of Owners of Dogs That Cause Injury

Sep 28 2005 // New York Gov. George E. Pataki has signed into law legislation that increases the civil liability for the owners of dogs that cause serious personal injury.The law also provides an incentive to help victims of these...

Mich. Judge Rules for Health Benefits for Gay Partners

Sep 28 2005 // An Ingham County, Michigan judge ruled that the state’s ban against gay marriage does not prevent public employers from providing health insurance to partners of gay employees.Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk says...

Fla. Supreme Court Rules Liability Insurance Does Not Cover Gun Manufacturers’ Damages

Sep 26 2005 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled in Tallahassee against Miami-based gun manufacturers Taurus International Holdings and Taurus International Manufacturing Inc. In a unanimous ruling the court said gun-makers’...

Reputation, Regulation and Recruitment Focus of CII Conference

Sep 26 2005 // “Pulling Together” was the overall theme of the U.K.’s Chartered Insurance Institute’s Annual Conference, which concluded Friday, Sept. 23 in London. However, the “Three Re’s” took...

Argonaut Group’s Trident Insurance Expands Identity Recovery Coverage to College and University Customers

Sep 26 2005 // San Antonio – Trident Insurance Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Argonaut Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGII) announced at the annual National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd. (NAPSLO)...

Judge Approves ‘Historic’ $6.1 Billion WorldCom Settlements

Sep 23 2005 // Former WorldCom investors can now claim back some of the billions of dollars they lost in a massive accounting fraud, after a federal judge in New York approved legal settlements of “historic proportions.”The...

Pa. Measure Would Grant Premium Break for Reducing Medical Errors

Sep 23 2005 // Pennsylvania State Rep. Phyllis Mundy this week explained to fellow lawmakers why they should approve a bill she has introduced to cut down on medical errors and rein in health-care inflation.Mundy’s legislation...

Conn. Gov. Rell: Close Insurance Loophole Truck Drove Through

Sep 22 2005 // An irate Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell said she would propose legislation to close a loophole that allowed American Crushing & Recycling, the owner of a truck involved in a July 29 fatal accident at the foot of...

Congress Asked to Shield Volunteer Contractors from Liability

Sep 21 2005 // The U.S. House of Representatives is weighing legislation to protect contractors who respond to declared federal, state and local emergencies or disasters from lawsuits arising out of their volunteer efforts.The provision...

NAIC Reports Multi-State Regulatory Settlement with Marsh & McLennan Cos.

Sep 21 2005 // More than 30 state insurance regulators working collaboratively through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on Wednesday announced a multi-state regulatory settlement with the nation’s largest...

ACIC Opposes Proposed California Department of Insurance Regulations

Sep 21 2005 // The Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) recently testified on proposed Department of Insurance regulations. According to Jeff Fuller, executive vice president and general counsel of ACIC, if passed, the...

Federal Role in Regulation is the Big Unknown in Surplus Line’s Future

Sep 19 2005 // If Congress Changes Regulation, Impact Would be Big … But That’s a Big ‘If’While underwriting cycles and the dynamics of distribution are certain to shape the surplus lines industry of 2010, a...

NAIC Releases 2006 Budget

Sep 19 2005 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has released its proposed budget for 2006, which calls for projected revenue of $59.3 million, a .18 percent increase over 2005 budget levels. Projected expenses of $58.3...

Indiana Targets Insurance for Economic Development

Sep 19 2005 // Former insurance industry advocate Mike Chrysler has recently been appointed as the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) Director of Insurance Initiatives.Chrysler, an Indiana native and former assistant...

Wis. Launches First Health Insurance Cooperative

Sep 19 2005 // The first health insurance cooperative in Wisconsin is set to be introduced this month to help small businesses, nonprofits and individuals negotiate affordable insurance plans.According to Associated Press, Co-op Care of...

Court Ruling Says Asbestos-Related Disease Does Not Constitute ‘Bodily Injury by Accident’

Sep 19 2005 // The U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, recently issued its opinion in Graphic Packaging International Inc. v. Employers Insurance of Wausau, upholding the validity of an exclusion for “bodily injury by...

Midwest FEATURE: Market Spotlight on Illinois and Ohio

Sep 19 2005 // Although the insurance industry — and the rest of us — are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s estimated $20 billion to $35 billion in insured losses, business in the...

Fla. Lawmakers Nelson, Foley Voice Support for National CAT Fund

Sep 19 2005 // Two Florida lawmakers, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), have voiced support for a national catastrophe fund insurance companies would establish to provide extra funding in the event of...

CDI to Introduce Third Revision of Broker Fiduciary Regs

Sep 19 2005 // The California Department of Insurance has plans to introduce the third iteration of its broker fiduciary responsibility regulations, much to the chagrin of the American Agents Alliance. In October 2004, the DOI introduced...