By Ted Gotsch
Policy Content and Publications Manager
To fulfill the Academy’s mission to serve the public and the profession, the Academy monitors and identifies proposed and adopted legislation and regulations at both the state and federal levels. While we do not lobby on a specific proposal, understanding proposed and final pieces of law is essential, as they could or do directly influence every line of business. We include quarterly updates on legislative, regulatory, and executive activities in each of our practice-specific newsletters, including Casualty Quarterly, HealthCheck, Life Perspectives, and Retirement Report (sign up for each or all of these on the Academy’s website). In 2025, key developments we followed include:
Casualty Practice Issues
- President Trump signed an executive order in March addressing the ability of states, localities, and citizens to prepare for incidents like cyberattacks and weather events. The order established a National Resilience Strategy that calls for, among other things, a review of all infrastructure, continuity, and preparedness policies.
- In June, President Trump issued an executive order calling on the Interior Secretary and the Agriculture Secretary to consolidate their wildland fire programs and coordinate related programs, budgets, procurement processes, and research.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in February seeking to implement wildfire mitigation strategies in the wake of wildfires in the Los Angeles area that destroyed more than 16,000 structures in January.
Read more about CPC-related legislative and regulatory issues in the spring, summer, and fall editions of Casualty Quarterly.
Health Practice Issues
- In July, President Trump signed H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The law directly impacts Medicaid, long-term care, and the Affordable Care Act through tougher eligibility restrictions and reduced regulations.
- In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal appeals court ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, affirming that the appointment of members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which recommends what items and services must be covered without cost-sharing under the ACA’s preventive health services requirements, is constitutional.
- That same month, the high court ruled in United States v. Skrmetti that Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors was legal, validating similar bans on access to hormone therapy and other gender-affirming health care for transgender people under 18 in more than two dozen states.
- In April, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to take steps to significantly reduce drug prices for American patients by calling for improving the Medicare Drug Pricing Negotiation Program, among other things.
Read more about Health Practice Council-related legislative and regulatory issues in the spring and summer editions of HealthCheck.
Life Practice Issues
- In July, the U.S. Employee Benefits Security Administration issued a final rule in the Code of Federal Regulations, eliminating the regulatory safe harbor for selecting annuity providers. The removal was prompted by the intention to default to the statutory safe harbor introduced in 2019.
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 2221 in June, establishing uniform standards for prohibited acts and practices in the life insurance and annuity sectors in order to enhance consumer protections and ensure fair practices.
- The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance adopted amendments and new rules in March regarding life insurance and annuities, focusing on disclosure and suitability requirements for annuities sold directly to consumers.
Read more about Life Practice Council-related legislative and regulatory issues in the spring, summer, and fall editions of Life Perspectives.
Retirement Practice Issues
- Shortly before leaving office in January, former President Joe Biden signed H.R. 82, The Social Security Fairness Act. The bipartisan measure increased Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million public-sector employees by repealing two provisions that reduced program benefits for those who also receive pensions.
- The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law in July, includes a provision that creates a temporary senior tax deduction of $6,000 through 2028 for anyone 65 and older making less than $75,000 (as a single filer) or making less than $150,000 (for joint filers).
- In August, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Labor (DOL) to examine guidance and provide clarification on the DOL’s position on permitting employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plans to offer alternative investment options for their employees.
Read more about Retirement Practice Council-related legislative and regulatory issues in the spring, summer, and fall editions of Retirement Report.
Risk Management and Financial Reporting
- In September, Gov. Newsom signed SB 53, a first-in-the-nation transparency bill that requires California’s major artificial intelligence (AI) companies to disclose their safety protocols for their models. It mandates that major AI companies publish an AI framework that includes how they plan to deal with and prevent dangerous situations.
- In June, Gov. Abbott of Texas signed HB 149. This AI legislation prohibits systems that manipulate behaviors, engage in social scoring, or discriminate against protected classes.
- President Trump signed an executive order in March calling for the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and stating that it is U.S. policy to create a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile that can serve as a secure account for orderly and strategic management of the nation’s other digital asset holdings.
Read more about Risk Management and Financial Reporting Council-related legislative and regulatory issues here.