Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Lawmakers Move Toward Risk-Based Rates
May 28 2020 // As the Soviet Union ultimately learned the hard way, price controls are a guaranteed way to prolong shortages. It has taken a few years, but there are promising signs California lawmakers may finally be ready to learn the...
Trump Executive Order Aims to Shrink Liability Shield for Social Media Giants
May 28 2020 // Donald Trump has been raging against Twitter Inc. since the social media platform that helped vault him to the presidency slapped fact-check links on a pair of his tweets. Now, he’s poised to take action Thursday...
Could Hong Kong’s Role as Global Financial Hub Be Jeopardized by China Security Law?
May 28 2020 // China’s parliament approved a decision on Thursday to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear could erode its freedoms and...
Lawmaker Details Federal Reinsurance for Pandemic Business Interruption, Event Losses
May 27 2020 // New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney has introduced the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020, a federal backstop for pandemic-related business interruption insurance modeled after the Terrorism Risk Insurance...
Florida CFO to Focus On Pandemic Business Liability Protections in 2021 Session
May 27 2020 // Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said he will pursue legislation that establishes liability protections for businesses in the next legislative session slated to start in March 2021. The Florida Department of Financial Services...
Update: AXA to Pay Business Interruption Claims to Restaurants After Court Ruling
May 26 2020 // A Paris court ruled last week that AXA should pay a restaurant owner two months of revenue losses caused by the virus pandemic. AXA had argued its policy did not cover business disruption caused by the health...
Judge: Ohio Hospital, Insurer Need Not Fund Doc’s Murder Case Defense
May 22 2020 // A Michigan-based health system and its insurer don’t have to cover the costs of an Ohio doctor’s defense against murder charges in the deaths of 25 hospital patients, a federal judge ruled. William Husel is...
Insurers, Agents Propose Pandemic Business Relief Plan; Plaintiffs Offer BIG Compromise
May 22 2020 // Key segments of the property/casualty insurance industry, which is facing mounting claims for business interruption losses from the pandemic, have thrown their lobbying weight behind a proposed federal program to replace...
Judge in Las Vegas Shooting Case Seeks State Ruling on Gun Makers’ Immunity
May 20 2020 // A U.S. judge is asking Nevada’s highest court to decide whether state law allows gun manufacturers and sellers to be held liable for deaths as he considers a lawsuit from the parents of a victim of the deadliest mass...
Allianz Group Appoints Richter to Lead Cyber Center of Competence
May 20 2020 // Dr. Catharina Richter will be appointed global head of Cyber Center of Competence for Allianz Group, effective June 1, 2020. The Cyber Center of Competence (CoC) coordinates and steers cyber risk underwriting and...
P/C Insurers Back a Federal Pandemic Loss Fund But Not a Backstop Like TRIA
May 19 2020 // Property/casualty insurance carrier groups are developing a proposal for a federal program to replace revenues lost by businesses shut down during pandemics like COVID-19, but their program won’t be modeled after the...
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against State of Georgia in Copyright Dispute
May 18 2020 // The Supreme Court ruled last month against the state of Georgia in a copyright lawsuit over annotations to its legal code, finding they cannot be copyrighted. The 5-4 ruling splintered the court along unusual lines and...
Citing 9/11 Victims Fund, Lawmakers Eye U.S. Compensation Pool For COVID-19 Workers
May 18 2020 // A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers last week unveiled a plan to compensate essential workers who fall sick or die from COVID-19. The lawmakers are modeling their Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act after the September...
U.S. Completes Overhaul of Biotech Farm Product Regulations
May 18 2020 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As...
Declarations
May 18 2020 // Michigan Auto Rates “Michigan drivers have been paying some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the country and this independent report shows the bipartisan legislation is beginning to work.” —...
Legal Actions That Insurance Pros in the Cannabis Biz Should Pay Attention to
May 18 2020 // Ian Stewart Lawsuits and legal concerns in the cannabis business are too numerous to count – just like with many other industries – but there are few that insurance professionals in the business should keep an...
What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI
May 18 2020 // If only 10% of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an...
California Workers’ Comp Bureau Chief Addresses COVID’s Impact on System
May 15 2020 // Bill Mudge has been put in a unique position during the pandemic. He’s got a sizeable workforce he’s had to reconfigure and manage much differently, and he heads the bureau that regulators, employers and...
Workers Protesting the Virus May Be Just the Start: Opinion
May 15 2020 // In recent weeks, employees at sites as diverse as Amazon warehouses, meat-processing plants and emergency rooms have raised the alarm over unsafe conditions posed by the new coronavirus. Workplace infections have been...
Kansas GOP Lawmakers Want to Limit Coronavirus Lawsuits
May 14 2020 // Republican legislators in Kansas are joining a broader effort to shield doctors, hospitals and businesses from lawsuits stemming from the coronavirus, with business and medical groups pushing them to act quickly. The...
