Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
As Texas Windstorm Insurer Mulls Rates, Policyholders, Lawmakers Strongly Oppose Hikes
Nov 15 2019 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail in counties along the Gulf Coast is finding itself once again between a rock and a hard place — or perhaps more appropriately, between a hurricane and a...
Conn. Supreme Court Finds Insurers Not Liable for Crumbling Foundations
Nov 15 2019 // Insurers are not liable for crumbling foundations caused by defective concrete unless the home is on the verge of collapse, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled. The decision will likely amplify public pressure for a...
Michigan Car Insurance Fee Dropping by 55% Next Year
Nov 15 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...
AM Best Comments on California Insurance Co. Ratings Following Regulatory Action
Nov 13 2019 // AM Best on Wednesday said the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a” of California Insurance Co. and its pooled insurance affiliates, collectively referred to...
How Brokers Influence Specialty Insurance Product Innovation
Nov 13 2019 // In an era of insurance transformation, where process simplification and flawless customer service are expected, innovation in policy and product is a must—especially when it comes to the non-traditional coverage aspects...
North Carolina High Court Keeps Blackbeard Ship Case Over Images Alive
Nov 13 2019 // A treasure hunter who accuses the state of North Carolina of misusing his images from Blackbeard’s flagship says he’ll ask for 10 times the damages he originally sought, now that a court ruling has come down in...
California Town Devastated by Wildfire Rebuilds, But Is It Any Safer a Year Later
Nov 7 2019 // There was “no way in hell” Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise, Calif. She’d thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire...
Imagining How Technology Might Transform Risks and Insurance by 2030
Nov 7 2019 // As 2019 wraps up, many in the insurance industry are likely well into planning for the next year. But what about planning for the next decade? While it can be difficult to predict what’s ahead in 10 years, industry...
Scores of U.S. Dams in Poor Condition Pose Danger to Thousands
Nov 7 2019 // On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house. Just a little over a quarter-mile...
Philadelphia Fire Highlights Dangers of Old Infrastructure at U.S. Refineries
Nov 6 2019 // How did a piece of piping installed when Richard Nixon was U.S. president go without once being checked before leading to a fire that devastated the East Coast’s largest and oldest oil refinery? That’s a...
Judge Says Vermont Man in Inheritance Fight Contributed to Boat Sinking
Nov 6 2019 // A Vermont man at the center of an inheritance dispute contributed to the 2016 sinking of the boat from which his mother was lost at sea, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a written...
The Lowdown: Cannabis 101 in 300 Minutes or Less
Nov 5 2019 // On October 17th, the Insurance Journal hosted a virtual, 6 hour, live summit on insuring the cannabis industry. With 2,300 pre-registrants, an additional 200 joined in as the day progressed. These viewers represented over...
Court Orders California Insurance Company Conserved in Another Round in Applied Battle
Nov 5 2019 // Note: This story has been updated with a response from an Applied spokesman describing the actions by the California Department of Insurance as “an unusual Draconian attempt.” A San Mateo County Superior Court...
Vaping Firm Juul Disregarded Early Signs It Was Hooking Young Users: Reuters
Nov 5 2019 // The San Francisco startup that invented the groundbreaking Juul e-cigarette had a central goal during its development: captivating users with the first hit. The company had concluded that consumers had largely rejected...
Missouri Court Rulings Conflict with Insurer Right to Intervene Protections
Nov 4 2019 // The Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals recently issued opinions that effectively strip any practical effect from a Missouri amendment made to provide certain protections to insurers. In Aguilar v. GEICO Cas....
Resolving Claim Disputes: Step 3 Research and Document the Interpretation – Part 3 of 3
Nov 4 2019 // In the past two columns, we examined eight legal and contractual principles nonlawyers can use to resolve most claim disputes without litigation. In this month’s column, we’ll wrap up this discussion with nine...
States Vary Widely in How They Control Workers’ Comp Medical Costs: WCRI
Nov 4 2019 // Workers’ compensation medical costs vary widely among the states both in terms of price and how often services are used. The differences appear to relate closely to which cost-drivers each state legislature tried to...
Report: Cannabis Dispensaries May Become ‘Most Profitable’ Specialty Stores
Oct 31 2019 // Selling insurance to cannabis dispensaries may the business in which to be in the very near future. A new report claims that cannabis retailing could become one of the “most profitable specialty store categories...
Number of Volunteer Firefighters Continues to Grow in Oklahoma
Oct 31 2019 // Nearly 500 new volunteer firefighters have joined Oklahoma rural fire departments in the four years after legislation passed that eliminated the age limit for new volunteers. Oklahoma House Majority Leader Mike Sanders...
States Eye Private Flood Insurance Model Law Industry Thinks Is Unnecessary
Oct 31 2019 // An organization of state lawmakers is moving ahead toward adoption of a “model law” designed to encourage the sale of private flood insurance, even though insurers don’t think any new state laws are...
