Latest Politics Headlines

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

N.J. Congressional Delegation Expresses Concern Over NFIP Claims

Feb 15 2013 // On Tuesday Feb. 12, New Jersey’s Congressional delegation sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate, expressing their concern over what the delegation described as “the...

Arizona Teen Drivers Face Cellphone Ban Under Senate Bill

Feb 15 2013 // Arizona lawmakers are coming after teen drivers’ cellphones. A bill approved by the Senate Committee on Public Safety on Wednesday seeks to prohibit teenagers from using wireless devices while they have their...

Obama Administration Says Health Insurance Exchanges on Track

Feb 14 2013 // The Obama administration on Thursday assured U.S. lawmakers that it is on track to enroll millions of people in new state health insurance markets, but it quickly came under fire from Republicans and Democrats about how...

Missouri Senate Backs Bill to Replenish Second Injury Fund

Feb 14 2013 // Missouri senators have endorsed a two-part plan to replenish an insolvent fund for disabled workers and stop people with job-related diseases from bringing big-dollar lawsuits against their employers. The legislation...

Rules for Dodd-Frank Top Republican House Agenda

Feb 12 2013 // Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are gearing up to overhaul the housing finance system this year and will soon map out ways to monitor Wall Street reform rules, according to a draft agenda circulating on...

Washington Senate Passes Workers’ Comp Bills

Feb 7 2013 // The Republican-controlled Washington state Senate passed three contentious measures intended to save businesses money by changing workers’ compensation rules. Senate Bill 5128 would overhaul the...

Missouri Senate to Debate Future of Disability Fund

Feb 5 2013 // Missouri senators are preparing to debate legislation to revive an insolvent fund for disabled workers. The state’s Second Injury Fund has a deficit of about $25 million that is expected to keep growing. The fund...

Tax Cuts, Workers’ Comp Top Oklahoma GOP Agenda

Feb 4 2013 // Republicans enjoying a tighter grip on the Oklahoma Legislature say they hope to cut taxes, overhaul the workers’ compensation system and increase school funding when the 2013 session opens today. Doing so, they say,...

Republicans to Block Obama Consumer Financial Bureau Chief

Feb 4 2013 // U.S. Senate Republicans on Friday pledged to block President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the consumer finance watchdog until Democrats agree to restructure it, ramping up an expected fight this year over the...

Washington Senate Delays Vote On Workers’ Compensation Bills

Feb 1 2013 // The Washington state Senate on Wednesday passed its first bills of the 2013 legislative session, but put off a vote on a set of contentious measures intended to save businesses money by changing workers’ compensation...

Florida Senate Democrats to Oppose Property Insurance Rate Hikes

Jan 31 2013 // With Florida lawmakers expected to consider formal changes to the state’s property insurance market next week, state Democrats are signaling that they will likely oppose any measure that results in higher...

Florida Senate to Unveil Property Insurance Reforms

Jan 31 2013 // Florida lawmakers are planning next week to release a draft version of a property insurance reform bill. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee has taken the lead on property insurance reform this year and so far has...

Senate Passes $50 Billion Sandy Aid Package; Bill Goes to Obama

Jan 28 2013 // A long-delayed $50.5 billion aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy cleared the Senate on Monday, three months after the storm destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in coastal New York,...

Florida Too Slow with Obamacare Regulations, Say Democrats

Jan 28 2013 // Florida Democrats expressed frustration with state insurance regulators Friday, accusing them of dragging their feet on drafting policies to comply with the new federal health overhaul. For nearly two years after the...

Washington Senate Panel Considers Workers’ Compensation Bills

Jan 25 2013 // The GOP-led Washington state Senate Commerce and Labor Committee this week was scheduled to consider five bills intended to save businesses money by changing workers’ compensation rules. Proponents say the measures,...

House Sends $50.5 Billion Sandy Disaster Aid Bill to Senate

Jan 15 2013 // The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved $50.5 billion in long-delayed federal disaster aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy, but not before Republicans flexed their budget-cutting muscle to strike some spending...

Obama Administration Urges Congress to Pass Farm, Crop Insurance Bill

Jan 15 2013 // Congress should reform U.S. farm subsidies, and end a $5 billion a year “direct payment,” as part of delivering an overdue overhaul of the farm program this year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on...

House, Senate OK $9.7B More for Flood Insurance Claims

Jan 4 2013 // The House of Representatives voted today 354-67 to increase the borrowing authority of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by $9.7 billion. The Senate, which already approved a similar increase but as part of a...

House Republicans Look to Split $60B Sandy Aid Bill in Half

Jan 1 2013 // The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to split a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill into two parts, staging votes on $27 billion to fund immediate recovery needs and $33 billion for long-term and...

Senate Passes Sandy Disaster Aid, Flood Insurance Increase

Dec 31 2012 // The Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion supplemental package to provide additional aid for northeast states hit by Superstorm Sandy that includes an increase in the borrowing authority of the federal flood insurance...