Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Demotech Reveals Florida Insurer Ratings, Says Market ‘Most Difficult’ in U.S.
Apr 3 2020 // The long-awaited Demotech rating decisions for Florida domestic carriers are in, with many carriers having satisfied necessary steps to avoid ratings downgrades by the financial analysis firm. After affirming a slew of...
Life-or-Death Decisions by Hospitals, Doctors Come With Threat of Lawsuits
Apr 2 2020 // Doctors and hospitals overwhelmed in the pandemic will have to make their excruciating life-or-death decisions meticulously or they risk being second-guessed by a jury when the onslaught is over. Lawyers who defend health...
Two UK Court Rulings Limit Corporate Responsibility for Employee Conduct
Apr 2 2020 // UK companies may let out a “sigh of relief” after Barclays Plc and Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc won a pair of Supreme Court cases that drastically limit corporate responsibility for employee conduct. First, the...
Kentucky Coronavirus Worker, Employer Relief Bill Signed by Governor
Apr 2 2020 // Legislation offering relief to workers and employers suffering economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic was signed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday. The bill was put on the fast track by lawmakers last week as...
Washington Governor Signs Facial Recognition Law Curbing Use
Apr 1 2020 // Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed the first U.S. state law that sharply curbs law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology, while civil rights activists said the measure did not go far enough to protect...
Delaware Judge Dismisses Chemours Lawsuit Against DuPont
Apr 1 2020 // A Delaware judge has granted the DuPont Co.’s request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that it massively downplayed the cost of environmental liabilities imposed on spinoff company Chemours. Vice Chancellor Sam...
Massachusetts Joins Ohio, N.J. in Proposing COVID-19 Business Interruption Bill
Mar 31 2020 // Massachusetts is one of the latest states to propose legislation that would mandate insurers cover COVID-19 related business interruption claims despite virus exclusions in many policies. This comes as Insurance Journal...
Judge Won’t Halt Salvage of Capsized Ship on Georgia Coast
Mar 31 2020 // A federal judge ruled she will not halt removal of a capsized cargo ship along the Georgia coast while a salvage company that lost the job to a competitor sues the U.S. Coast Guard. The decision by U.S. District Court...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Call for First Responder Workers’ Comp Coverage for COVID-19
Mar 30 2020 // A group of Republican lawmakers from the Oklahoma House of Representatives are asking the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML), Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG), CompSource Oklahoma and self-funded municipalities to...
P/C Insurers Put a Price Tag on Uncovered Coronavirus Business Interruption Losses
Mar 30 2020 // The property/casualty industry estimates that business interruption losses from the coronavirus just for small businesses in the U.S. could be between $220-$383 billion per month — or a quarter to half of the total...
Judge Declines to Dismiss Class-Action Suit Against New Hampshire Gun Manufacturer
Mar 27 2020 // A judge has denied a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against New Hampshire based gun manufacturer SIG Sauer. Judge Joseph Laplante found Monday that Derick Ortiz, who filed the lawsuit in September, had adequately...
New York Court Rules Gig Drivers Are Employees Eligible for Unemployment Benefits
Mar 27 2020 // Drivers for the online food delivery service Postmates Inc. are employees who are eligible for state unemployment insurance, New York’s top court has ruled. The ruling upsets the “gig” business model of...
Oil Industry Seeks Easing of Environmental Regulation During Pandemic
Mar 26 2020 // The Environmental Protection Agency said this week that it’s reviewing a request from the oil and gas industry to ease enforcement of hazardous air and water pollution and other regulatory issues during the...
How Policy Silence on Pandemics May Bedevil Insurers on Coronavirus Claims
Mar 26 2020 // Silence may be deadly for property/casualty insurers writing commercial insurance, an executive of an insurtech that specializes in analyzing insurance policy language suggested recently, explaining that without specific...
How East Insurance Regulators Are Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Mar 25 2020 // As insurers continue to monitor the spread and impact of COVID-19, insurance regulators across the East region of the U.S. are issuing guidance on how the industry can respond. “There is almost no aspect of the...
What State Insurance Regulators Have Asked of P/C Insurers to Address Coronavirus
Mar 25 2020 // As state insurance regulators monitor and respond to the coronavirus impact on insurance, property/casualty insurers are calling on them to coordinate their requests for data and ease up on some requirements. David A....
Ban on Holding Cellphone While Driving Begins July 1 in Indiana
Mar 23 2020 // Drivers will be banned from using handheld cellphones on Indiana roads starting in July under legislation Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law to combat distracted driving. Holcomb signed the measure on March 18, making...
Wisconsin High Court Rules Against Farm Over Pay for Time Workers Spend Dressing
Mar 23 2020 // Workers can’t negotiate away their right to compensation for time spent donning and removing protective gear, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in a long-running legal battle between a Jefferson County farm and its...
Nicolopoulos Confirmed as New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner
Mar 23 2020 // The New Hampshire Insurance Department has announced that Chris Nicolopoulos was confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council as insurance commissioner succeeding John Elias, who resigned in December less than two...
Lighthouse to Acquire Prepared Insurance of Florida
Mar 23 2020 // Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. plans to acquire its sister carrier, Prepared Insurance Company (Prepared), from Prepared Holdings Group. Lighthouse is a Louisiana-domiciled property and casualty insurance carrier...
