Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Bipartisan Internet Privacy Proposal Calls for User OK to Share Data But Is Mum on Suits

Dec 23 2019 // A top House panel unveiled long-awaited draft privacy legislation that calls for limits on sharing consumers’ information and would allow users to correct their personal data.The draft, which also calls for the...

DuPont Asks Delaware Judge to Toss Chemours Environmental Liabilities Suit

Dec 23 2019 // The DuPont Co. is asking a Delaware judge to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it massively downplayed the cost of environmental liabilities that Chemours would be saddled with when DuPont spun off its former performance...

U.S. E-Cigarette Regulation Has Been Delayed for Years

Dec 23 2019 // As the Federal Drug Administration pressures e-cigarette firms to stamp out youth vaping, the agency faces criticism itself for failing to rein in the fast-growing industry after years of bureaucratic delays dating back to...

Spending Bills with Flood, Terrorism Insurance Renewals Go to President Trump

Dec 20 2019 // The Senate yesterday went along with House measures that fund the military and rest of the federal government through next September.The government funding measure includes two provisions of particular interest to the...

Reuters Report: Why Big Business Can Count on Courts to Keep Deadly Secrets

Dec 20 2019 // In the dreary archives of a Newark, New Jersey, courthouse, Ronald Motley found a treasure map.It was an evidence log, a detailed inventory of documents and other exhibits that had been used in an injured worker’s...

Massive MJBizCon in Vegas Reveals Coverage Gaps, Little Insurance Understanding

Dec 19 2019 // If gawking at tons of cannabis-churning pieces of agricultural equipment winding around a quarter-million feet of convention floor space wasn’t your thing, perhaps access to an abundance of pre-rolls, or whiffing...

Airlines Liable for Hot Drink Burns During Flights, EU Court Rules

Dec 19 2019 // Airlines are liable for a hot drink accidentally spilled and hurting a passenger, the European Union’s top court said in a dispute involving a carrier founded by the late-Formula One motor-racing champion Niki...

Court Nixes Obamacare Mandate But Punts on What That Means for the Law

Dec 18 2019 // A U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a component of the Obamacare law is unconstitutional, but dodged a major ruling by stopping short of declaring that the rest of the landmark 2010 healthcare statute must also be...

Oklahoma Appeals Judge’s $465M Order in Opioid Lawsuit

Dec 18 2019 // A judge didn’t order Johnson & Johnson to pay enough when he said the company must pay $465 million to address Oklahoma’s opioid crisis, the state said in an appeal filed on Dec. 16.Attorney General Mike...

British Accountants Under Pressure to Do More to Detect Fraud at Companies

Dec 18 2019 // British accountants could be required to look for fraud at companies they audit under proposals made in a government-backed review of recent corporate scandals which went undetected.Lawmakers called for a shake-up of...

Bankruptcy Judge Approves $13.5B PG&E Deal with California Wildfire Victims

Dec 18 2019 // A U.S. bankruptcy judge approved on Tuesday PG&E Corp.’s $13.5 billion settlement with victims of Californian wildfires, and the company’s stock rallied as the utility gained momentum to emerge from...

W.R. Berkley Corp. Forms Captive Insurer in North Carolina

Dec 18 2019 // W.R. Berkley Corporation has formed Oak Harbor Reinsurance Co. (Oak Harbor Re), a protected cell captive insurance company, which was licensed by the N.C. Department of Insurance on Nov. 25.According to the North Carolina...

Judge Rules U.S. Army Engineers May Be Liable for Hurricane Harvey Floods

Dec 17 2019 // Hundreds of Houston homeowners near U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed reservoirs may receive compensation for flooding of their properties during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.The U.S....

Government Spending Bill Includes Flood, TRIA Renewals and Obamacare Taxes Repeal

Dec 17 2019 // Congress is planning to use a $1.4 trillion package of two must-pass spending bills to repeal Obamacare taxes, raise the age for tobacco purchases to 21 and extend the U.S. Export-Import Bank for seven years, according to...

Judge Puts Hold on Enforcement of Arkansas’ Meat-Labeling Law

Dec 16 2019 // A federal judge has restricted Arkansas from enforcing a law that bans using terms such as “burger” or “sausage” to sell vegetarian and vegan products.U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker granted a...

Surprise Medical Bill Moving in Congress Could Help Insurers As Well as Patients

Dec 16 2019 // Congress is closing in on a deal that could shield patients from surprise medical bills, eliminating a source of frustration for Americans who face unexpected charges from emergency care and other procedures.The question...

Judge Approves $103M Settlement for Florida Bridge Collapse Victims

Dec 16 2019 // The families of six people killed, along with 10 people injured, when a bridge collapsed at a Miami university are set to receive a nearly $103 million settlement.Judge A. Jay Cristol, with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami,...

Michigan Car Insurance Fee to Drop by 55% Next July

Dec 16 2019 // Michigan drivers who want unlimited medical coverage for crash injuries will pay $100 per vehicle starting in July, which will be 55% less than the record high $220 annual fee they currently pay.The Michigan Catastrophic...

Officials Say Regulation Standards Factor in Alaska Quake Damage

Dec 16 2019 // Assessments following Alaska’s enormous 2018 earthquake showed building damage was worse outside Anchorage’s safety area because of reduced regulation, municipal officials said.There was less structural damage...

Driver Privacy Concerns in Auto Insurance. There’s an App for That.

Dec 13 2019 // Apps that let you book a ride to work or borrow a car for your next vacation are feeding into a revolution in auto insurance — while also raising some privacy red flags.Data on everything from how frequently a car is...