Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Indiana Republicans Vote to Privatize State Farm
Aug 15 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Insurance Journal’s Satire Issue, August 15, 2011. The content in this issue is not real and is not to be taken seriously. It’s supposed to be humorous....
Democrats, Republicans Compromise on Federal Flood Insurance
Aug 15 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Insurance Journal’s Satire Issue, August 15, 2011. The content in this issue is not real and is not to be taken seriously. It’s supposed to be humorous....
North Carolina House Joins Senate to Override Veto of Malpractice Cap
Jul 27 2011 // Victims of North Carolina doctors guilty of medical malpractice will be limited to $500,000 what they can collect for pain, suffering and lost body parts under legislation the state House passed into law over a veto by...
Insurers Urge Senate OK for Insurance Rep on Financial Council
Jul 26 2011 // The Senate Banking Committee is today considering the nomination of a key insurance member to the new federal board that deals with the financial system and matters of systemic risk. President Barack Obama has nominated a...
North Carolina Senate Overrides Malpractice Bill Veto
Jul 14 2011 // The North Carolina Senate has rejected Gov. Beverly Perdue’s opposition to a bill to limit certain damages for negligence victims in medical malpractice cases. The Senate agreed Wednesday to override Perdue’s...
Michigan Senate Votes to Lift Motorcycle Helmet Rule for Some
Jun 30 2011 // A proposal to allow some motorcycle riders to go without a helmet has been approved by the Michigan Senate. The measure approved this week by a 24-14 vote would allow riders 21 or older to go helmetless if they have been...
Rhode Island Senate Passes Seat Belt, Cell Phone Driver Bills
Jun 27 2011 // The Rhode Island Senate has advanced two bills on driver safety, one boosting seat belt enforcement and another banning young drivers from using cell phones while behind the wheel. The cell phone proposal would make it...
House Approves Patent Reform Bill Similar to Senate’s
Jun 24 2011 // Patent legislation that aims to clear a years-long backlog of applications and allows the patent office set its own fees was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. Supporters say the bill will help the...
Texas Senate Passes Windstorm Bill
Jun 23 2011 // The Texas Senate has passed a bill intended to improve the state’s coastal windstorm insurance agency, clarifying the claims process and increasing transparency at the agency. The measure to reform the Texas...
Senate Panel to Hear Flood Insurance Reauthorization Bill
Jun 23 2011 // Insurers today will again urged federal lawmakers to reauthorize and reform the nation’s flood insurance program, which is slated to lapse on Sept. 30 if Congress does not act. At a hearing today, a Senate Banking...
North Carolina Senate Panel Drops Drug Firm Liability Shield
Jun 15 2011 // A North Carolina legislative committee has removed from a liability lawsuit measure a provision that would have given broad product protections for pharmaceutical companies. A Senate judiciary panel has deleted language...
Nevada Construction Defect Reform Bill Dies in Senate
Jun 9 2011 // Proposed Nevada construction defect lawsuit reforms that were criticized as “window dressing” by the building industry died in the Senate. AB401 sponsored by Democratic Assembly Speaker John Oceguera failed on...
Oregon Senate Passes Car Sharing Bill
Jun 7 2011 // In a seeming effort to encourage green behavior, Oregon senators have approved a bill that would remove some of the barriers to developing community car sharing programs. House Bill 3149 establishes standards for personal...
Senate-Approved Workers’ Comp Overhaul Rejected by Illinois House
Jun 6 2011 // A major overhaul of the state’s costly workers’ compensation system failed in the Illinois House on May 29, raising the possibility that lawmakers would push to entirely abolish a system that handles tens of...
South Carolina Senate Approves Limits on Lawsuits Damages
Jun 2 2011 // The South Carolina Senate has given approval to a bill limiting lawsuit punitive damages, but bucked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley along the way. Haley wanted the Senate to go along with the House and approve a cap of...
Senate-Approved Workers’ Comp Overhaul Rejected by Illinois House
May 31 2011 // A major overhaul of the state’s costly workers compensation system failed in the Illinois House on May 29, raising the possibility that lawmakers would push to entirely abolish a system that handles tens of thousands...
Senate Bill Would Set Wind-Vs.-Water Insurance Claim Formula
May 31 2011 // A U.S. senator from Mississippi is introducing a bill that tries to resolve wind-versus-water insurance disputes for structures wiped out by hurricanes. Republican Roger Wicker said that his bill would establish a formula...
Workers’ Comp Reform Approved in Illinois Senate
May 31 2011 // A plan to overhaul workers’ compensation to cut business costs and curb corruption emerged May 28 and was approved by the Illinois Senate. The measure, which came after six months of negotiations and now heads to the...
Oregon Senate Passes Insurance Fraud Bill
May 27 2011 // The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that makes insurance fraud in claims a crime. According to the insurance fraud bill, SB 401, fraud warnings would be mandatory on policies, noting that presenting a fraudulent claim for...
Texas Senate Votes to Keep Texas Insurance Department
May 23 2011 // The Texas Senate has voted to renew the state Department of Insurance and give it stronger enforcement penalties when companies lose challenges to their rates. Lawmakers are considering competing bills to extend the life...
