Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Senate Approves Massive Late-Session Work Comp Bill
May 19 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved a more than 200-page bill that completely overhauls Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws. The proposal emerged in the Oklahoma House just three days before lawmakers are...
Missouri Senate Sends Governor New Bill on Farm Lawsuits
May 12 2011 // Responding to objections from Gov. Jay Nixon, Missouri lawmakers passed a revised bill that would restrict the ability of neighboring property owners to bring nuisance lawsuits against large, smelly hog farms. The...
Republicans Push to Repeal Healthcare Reform Funds
May 4 2011 // In a renewed attack against President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul program, House Republicans voted Tuesday to deny funding for a central element of the law that sets up marketplaces for people to shop for...
Florida Senate Passes Property Insurance Overhaul
Apr 29 2011 // The Florida Senate has passed a property insurance overhaul aimed at creating more competition in the private marketplace and also cut down on fraudulent sinkhole claims. The measure (SB 408) passed on a 25-12 vote after...
Tennessee Lawsuit Damages Bill Advances in Senate
Apr 28 2011 // Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to limit lawsuit damages is advancing in the Tennessee Legislature. The measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee 6-3 on Tuesday and will now be scheduled for a vote on the...
Illinois Senate Rejects Workers’ Compensation Changes
Apr 18 2011 // A Republican plan to overhaul the Illinois workers’ compensation system failed April 14 in the state Senate, largely over the question of whether workers should be required to prove injuries are...
Investors Suing Banks Gain Ammunition with Senate Report
Apr 15 2011 // Pigs. Unicorns. Money? A scathing U.S. Senate panel report faulting Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Deutsche Bank AG and others for contributing to the financial crisis may provide ammunition for investor lawsuits accusing the...
Florida Senate Committee Advances PIP Bills
Apr 14 2011 // A pair of bills aimed at cracking down on the runaway fraud that has vexed automobile insurers in recent years moved through a key Senate panel this week. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee narrowly approved the...
Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report
Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....
Senate Sends Repeal of Healthcare Law’s 1099 Tax Provision to Obama
Apr 5 2011 // In an 87-12 vote, the Senate has passed a repeal of the new IRS 1099 tax reporting provision contained in the major federal healthcare reform law. The bill — H.R.4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of...
Lawsuit Reform Measures Advance in Oklahoma House, Senate
Apr 4 2011 // Legislation in Oklahoma aimed at eliminating joint and several liability, requiring that juries be provided with information on the tax impact of potential awards, and capping noneconomic damages in lawsuits have advanced...
Montana Senate Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Bill
Mar 29 2011 // The Montana Senate has passed a workers’ compensation reform bill that supporters claim will bring nearly $100 million in savings its first year. The Senate passed HB 334 by a 45-5 vote in its third reading on March...
Montana Bill to Deny Workers’ Comp to Illegal Aliens Stalls in Senate Committee
Mar 28 2011 // A bill that would deny workers’ compensation to illegal immigrants who have jobs in Montana was tabled by a Senate committee after several insurers and businesses warned it would do more harm than good to...
Lawsuit Reform Measures Advance in Oklahoma House, Senate
Mar 24 2011 // Oklahoma state lawmakers seem to be serious about reforming the state’s tort environment. Legislation aimed at eliminating joint and several liability, requiring that juries be provided with information on the tax...
Florida Senate Moves to Curb Liability Suits Against Car Makers
Mar 17 2011 // The Florida Senate has approved a bill that would change the apportionment of damages in product liability cases so that a judge or jury must consider the fault of all parties. The bill is designed to shield or limit the...
Oklahoma Senate Approves Ban on Texting While Driving
Mar 17 2011 // The full Senate has given its support to a bill that would make it illegal to text while driving. State Sen. Jerry Ellis is the author of Senate Bill 146 which was approved on a vote of 32 to 9. “This isn’t a...
Missouri Senate Endorses Workers’ Comp Changes
Mar 17 2011 // Missouri senators have given first-round approval to legislation that restricts employees from suing co-workers over injuries incurred on the job. The legislation also expressly states that occupational diseases, such as...
Mississippi Senate Sends ATV Safety Bill to Governor
Mar 17 2011 // The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill requiring safety measures for young ATV riders, sending the bill to the governor for consideration. The bill would require riders and passengers under age 16 who ride on public land...
Republicans Target Dodd-Frank Reforms, Rating Firms’ Liability
Mar 15 2011 // Congressional Republicans on Wednesday will stage their first outright challenge to 2010’s Dodd-Frank financial regulation reforms with a fistful of bills favoring private equity firms, derivatives end-users and...
Business Lobby Critical of GOP Immigration Measure in Oklahoma
Mar 14 2011 // A quiet campaign by Oklahoma’s business community to head off tough new immigration legislation is causing an angry rift among Republicans in the Legislature, some of whom charge that voters’ desire for more...
