Latest Politics Headlines

All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.

W. Va. Senate Restores 1% Insurance Policy Tax to Help Towns

Feb 28 2008 // The West Virginia Senate has agreed to help cities and towns with their police and firefighter pension funds, partly by reversing a recent tax break on consumer insurance costs. The state would restore a 1 percent...

S.C. Senate Approves Tougher Penalties for Drunken Driving

Feb 22 2008 // The fines and prison time that repeat drunken drivers face would hinge on how much alcohol they have in their bodies under a measure that received key approval Wednesday in the South Carolina Senate. Senators also decided...

S.C. Gov. to State Senate: Stop Toying with Drunk Driving Law

Feb 15 2008 // In a written statement Tuesday, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford reacted to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s refusal to strip harmful amendments from the DUI bill: “We knew going in that some on this Senate...

Okla. GOP Lawmaker to Return Insurance-related Campaign Donation

Feb 14 2008 // An Oklahoma Republican House leader said he will return a $5,000 campaign contribution from a donor who sought legislation that would have helped insurance companies tied to the donor’s family. House Majority Leader...

Pa. Senate Passes Long-Awaited Mine Safety Measure

Feb 13 2008 // The first major rewrite of Pennsylvania’s 1961 mine safety law received unanimous approval from the state Senate this week, but the mine workers union wants the House to make additions to it. Under the current draft,...

Alabama Senate Votes to Raise Auto Insurance Requirements

Feb 11 2008 // The Alabama Senate is ready to raise the minimum amount of auto liability insurance that Alabamians must buy. The Senate voted 33-0 on Jan. 7 for a bill that would increase the limits for the first time since...

Wis. Senate Squeaks Through Bill to Ban Credit Scoring

Feb 10 2008 // With the 2008 legislative sessions now in full swing, many states are taking another look at the issue of insurers using credit scoring to underwrite or rate auto or homeowners insurance. Insurance trade groups are...

Democrats Blast FDA Labeling Rule as Liability Shield for Drug Makers

Feb 10 2008 // Proposed rules limit when drug manufacturers can change warnings labels without FDA approval The Bush administration wants to limit the situations where drug companies can change warning labels when they know of unsafe...

Calif. State Fund Leaders Testify at Senate Hearing

Feb 7 2008 // California State Compensation Insurance Fund President Janet Frank and Board Chair Jeanne Cain testified Wednesday at an informational hearing of the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee that was held to review...

American Strategic: Golden Haired Boy at Fla. Senate Hearings

Feb 6 2008 // After the Florida Senate Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability heard testimony from The Hartford and Florida Farm Bureau Tuesday, Sen. Steve Geller, D- Hallandale Beach, said the final group of the day,...

Allstate Cites Potential Fla. Insolvency at Senate Hearing into Rates

Feb 5 2008 // Referring to what he felt were Allstate Insurance executives’ evasive answers to questions posed by Florida senators on Monday, Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said he hadn’t seen so much bobbing and weaving...

Wis. Senate Passes Bill to Ban Use of Credit Scoring by Insurers

Feb 1 2008 // Insurance groups are criticizing passage of Senate Bill 259 by the Wisconsin Senate late on Thursday, Jan. 31st. Senate Bill 259 would forbid insurers from considering information in an individual’s credit report for...

Virginia Senate Passes Repeal of Abusive Driver Fees

Feb 1 2008 // The Virginia Senate this week finally passed its bill to repeal high fees on bad drivers by resolving a partisan impasse over how to rebate fees courts already imposed. The 39-0 vote marks the first passage by the House or...

Kan. Disaster Bill Advances in Senate

Jan 31 2008 // A bill providing $12 million over three years to help flood and tornado damaged rural communities rebuild gained first-round approval Tuesday in the Senate. A final vote of approval sends the bill to the House. Starting in...

National Trade Group Urges Wis. Senate to Reject Credit Ban Proposal

Jan 30 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) recently announced that it is opposing legislation scheduled for a vote by Wisconsin Senate Thursday, Jan. 31st, that would prohibit insurers from using...

Democrats Blast FDA Labeling Rule as Product Liability Shield for Drug Makers

Jan 25 2008 // The Bush administration wants to limit the situations where drug companies can change warning labels when they know of unsafe conditions without waiting for government approval. But Democrats charge that the recent...

House Democrats Pass Mine Safety Bill Despite Bush Veto Threat

Jan 18 2008 // Defying White House veto threats, the Democratic-controlled House this week passed sweeping mine safety legislation aimed at preventing future underground disasters like the one that took nine lives last year at Crandall...

Kan. Senate Committee Moves Quickly on Disaster Relief Bill

Jan 18 2008 // A Senate committee is moving quickly on a proposal to help flood- and tornado-damaged communities rebuild homes. The Ways and Means Committee voted Monday to sponsor the proposal. It would provide $12 million over three...

Pa. Senate Panel Advances Long-Delayed Mine Safety Measure

Jan 17 2008 // A bill that would install a slew of safety measures into Pennsylvania’s long-outdated law protecting coal miners received unanimous approval from a state Senate committee this week. The bill, which is headed for a...

Fla. Senate ‘Invites’ 5 Insurance Co. Execs to Provide Sworn Testimony

Jan 16 2008 // The Florida Senate Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability sent letters to five property and casualty insurance company executives Tuesday requesting their presence in Tallahassee on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 to...