Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
N.M. GOP Says Planned State Audit Political Payback
Feb 24 2006 // New Mexico’s Department of Labor has ordered what it calls a routine audit of the state GOP, but Republicans suspect politics as the reason for putting them on notice. A state computer randomly selects 200 to 250...
Okla. Senate GOP Claims Democrats Aided Lawyers in Tort Reform Battle
Feb 23 2006 // Oklahoma Senate Republicans are playing hardball, claiming in a news release that trial lawyers won an early victory in the legislative lawsuit reform battle with the help of Democrat “allies” in the state...
Washington Senate passes emergency readiness bill
Feb 20 2006 // A measure to improve Washington’s emergency readiness passed the state Senate, after a lawmaker agreed to bend to insurance industry insistence that the $5.7 million needed come from the state and not a surcharge on...
Colo. senate wants insurers to pay medical bills
Feb 20 2006 // Auto insurers would have to pay ambulance and emergency room bills in car accidents, under a measure backed by a Colorado Senate panel. Officials for hospitals and ambulance services said someone needs to help them pay for...
AIA Takes Issue with Mont. Democratic Party Comments
Feb 16 2006 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) on Thursday called statements by the Montana Democratic Party about former Montana Governor and current AIA President Marc Racicot “outrageous, shameful attempts to make...
Senate Kills $140 Billion Asbestos Fund Over Budget Rule
Feb 15 2006 // On a procedural budget vote, the U.S. Senate yesterday killed a proposed $140 billion private asbestos victims fund that has been years in the making. The final vote was 58 to 41, with 60 votes needed to keep it alive. The...
Wash. Senate Approves Insurance Fraud Unit, Prosecutor
Feb 15 2006 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill creating the state’s first insurance fraud bureau and adding a fraud prosecutor. SB 6234 passed by a 35-10 margin, and now heads to the House for debate.The bill had to...
Wash. Senate Passes Permanent Changes in Unemployment Insurance
Feb 15 2006 // Wash. Senate Democrats have approved a bill that would permanently change unemployment laws to pay out additional benefits to seasonal workers. The measure, which passed on a 25-22 vote, reverses the state’s move...
Iowa’s GOP Legislators Push Proposal to Cap Punitive Damage Awards
Feb 15 2006 // Republican legislative leaders in Iowa are hoping to cap excessive damage awards with a proposal that would slap a $500,000 limit on punitive damages assessed in medical malpractice lawsuits. Senate Republican President...
Ariz. Senate Considering Law to Protect Consumers’ Information
Feb 14 2006 // Members of the Arizona Senate are considering a bill designed to safeguard the personal information of Arizona residents. SB 1338, authored by Sen. John Huppenthal, R-HD 20, requires businesses to notify their customers if...
Va. House GOP Offers Transportation Plan Minus Tax Hikes
Feb 13 2006 // Virginia House Republicans have offered a $2 billion, four-year financing plan that is underwritten partly by daunting new fines on lead-footed drivers. It provides only about half the additional revenue for roads,...
Washington Senate Passes Emergency Readiness Bill
Feb 13 2006 // A measure to improve Washington’s emergency readiness passed the state Senate, after a lawmaker agreed to bend to insurance industry insistence that the $5.7 million needed come from the state and not a surcharge on...
Big ‘I’ Supports Senate Action on Flood Borrowing Authority
Feb 10 2006 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) said it supports Friday’s Senate vote on a bill, S. 2275, which would extend the borrowing authority of the National Flood...
Insurers Urge Senate to Oppose Asbestos Trust Fund Bill
Feb 8 2006 // Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), an industry organization comprised of more than 1,000 insurance companies, says it opposes S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act, calling the...
Colo. Senate Panel Backs Requiring Auto Insurers to Pay Medical Bills
Feb 3 2006 // Auto insurers would have to pay ambulance and emergency room bills in car accidents under a measure backed by a Colorado Senate panel. Officials for hospitals and ambulance services said someone needs to help them pay for...
Michigan Governor, Democrats Introduce Insurance Reform Package
Feb 1 2006 // Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Democratic legislators introduced a multi-bill insurance reform package this week that is designed to reduce insurance rates. The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies said industry...
Democrats Propose Mandatory Flood Insurance, Development Limits
Jan 27 2006 // Citing the risks exposed by Hurricane Katrina, a group of California Assembly Democrats unveiled legislation that could block some development in flood-prone areas and require homeowners living on flood plains to have...
R.I. Senate Passes Beacon Mutual Bill
Jan 26 2006 // The Rhode Island Senate on a vote of 34-3 passed legislation to reduce the number of public appointees to the board of Beacon Mutual and free the state’s dominant workers’ compensation insurer to cover...
R.I. Senate to Vote on Beacon Mutual Bill Opposed by Governor Today
Jan 25 2006 // Legislation to amend the charter of the Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. to reduce the number of public appointees on the workers’ compensation carrier’s board and clear the way for it to write out-of-state accounts...
Senate Democrats Favor Expansion of Health Plan in Okla.
Jan 25 2006 // Expansion of a program that subsidizes employer health care costs is on Oklahoma Senate Democrats’ small business agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The Legislature last year enacted Gov. Brad Henry’s...
