Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Why Republicans’ Plan to Rebuild a Glass-Steagall Wall Is Bad Idea
Jul 21 2016 // One of the biggest surprises from the Republican convention so far has not taken place on its center stage. Yes, I’m talking about the party’s call in its 2016 platform to reinstate the Glass-Steagall law. This...
Republican Platform Under Trump: Reinstate Glass-Steagall, Go Slow on Trade Pacts
Jul 19 2016 // Republican National Convention delegates approved a platform Monday that calls for reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act and scaling back the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul, calling it the Democrats’ “legislative...
House GOP Wants Democratic AGs’ Records on Climate Change Suit Against Exxon
Jul 15 2016 // Escalating a political fight over global warming, a Republican House chairman issued subpoenas this week to two Democratic state attorneys general, seeking records about their investigation into whether Exxon Mobil misled...
Philadelphia Obtains $5M Police Liability Insurance for Democratic Convention
Jul 12 2016 // In the wake of protests in various cities and the police shootings in Dallas, the city of Philadelphia has purchased a law enforcement liability policy in case it or its police officers are sued over their performance of...
Mass. Senate Passes Ridesharing Bill; Lawmakers Must Reconcile with House Bill
Jul 1 2016 // The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill to regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. The legislation approved Wednesday on a 34-2 vote would require drivers to undergo criminal background checks and carry...
Cleveland’s Insurance Bill for GOP Convention: $9.5M
Jul 1 2016 // A city of Cleveland panel has authorized spending nearly $10 million to purchase $50 million in insurance to protect the city against claims during the Republican National Convention after a consultant concluded the city...
Senate Zika Funding Fails as Democrats Balk at Strings Attached
Jun 29 2016 // Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked Republicans’ plan to partially fund President Barack Obama’s request for funding to tackle the Zika virus and attach it to other items Democrats dismissed as partisan,...
Massachusetts Senate, House Ridesharing Bills Differ Over Airport Access
Jun 27 2016 // A bill that would regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, including requiring drivers undergo criminal background checks and mandate they carry insurance policies of at least $1 million, was unveiled last week...
Democratic Senators Oppose Health Insurer Mergers
Jun 23 2016 // Seven Democratic senators urged the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday to block two mergers of major health insurance companies, saying that the proposed deals would mean higher premiums and lower-quality healthcare for...
Republican Plan Would Scrap Much of Dodd-Frank Financial Regulation
Jun 8 2016 // The chair of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee has proposed getting rid of much of the regulation put in place after the financial crisis, unveiling a plan on Tuesday that ignited fierce debate in the...
California Senate OKs Bill to Avert License Suspensions for Minor Offenses
May 31 2016 // The California Senate on Tuesday passed legislation by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, that stops the automatic suspension of driver’s licenses for people who fail to appear in court on minor traffic offenses...
IIABNY Lauds New York Senate Committee’s Approval of Workers’ Comp Bill
May 24 2016 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) applauded a New York Senate committee’s action to protect employers from surprise insurance premium increases in their workers’ compensation...
House, Senate Republicans Divided Over Zika Funding
May 18 2016 // House and Senate Republicans can’t get on the same page when it comes to fighting the Zika virus — and Democrats are pouncing. The Senate, on a 68-29 vote, advanced $1.1 billion of the administration’s...
Obama Administration Finalizes Rules on Company Wellness Programs
May 17 2016 // A federal agency on Monday released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives of up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without...
Ex-New York Senate Leader Skelos, Son Get Prison Terms
May 16 2016 // A once-powerful New York politician convicted of using his position as Senate majority leader to help his son extort hundreds of thousands of dollars was sentenced May 12 to five years in prison after each asked for mercy...
Obama Administration Calls for Stricter Building Codes
May 11 2016 // President Barack Obama is asking the private sector to tighten building standards to reduce losses from natural disasters after studies linked an increase in extreme weather to climate change. The administration will...
South Carolina Senate Approves $40M Farmer Flood Aid
May 2 2016 // The Senate has approved a bill providing $40 million to South Carolina farmers devastated by last fall’s flooding. Senators voted 33-3 Thursday on legislation allowing farmers in disaster-declared counties to apply...
Climate Change and The Conservative Republican
Apr 28 2016 // If you’re a conservative Republican, there’s a decent chance that you believe in climate change. Compared with two years ago that is. Don’t tell this to Rush Limbaugh or presidential hopeful Donald Trump....
Republicans Call for State Pools to Replace Obamacare Safeguards for Sickest Insureds
Apr 28 2016 // U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan called on Wednesday for an end to Obamacare’s financial protections for people with serious medical conditions, saying these consumers should be placed in state...
Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Passes in Louisiana Senate
Apr 22 2016 // A day after falling one vote short, backers of a proposal to expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana law to cover more diseases found success in the state Senate. Senators voted 21-16 for the proposal from Sen. Fred...
