Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Missouri Senate Passes Workplace Discrimination Measure
Mar 12 2012 // The Missouri Senate has given final approval to legislation aimed at changing the state’s rules for lawsuits that deal with workplace discrimination. Senators backed the bill in a 23-8 vote along party lines, sending...
Florida Gov. Scott, Insurance Chief McCarty Oppose Senate PIP Bill
Mar 9 2012 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has blasted a Senate bill to reform the state’s personal injury protection (PIP) auto insurance system claiming the bill does not provide adequate reform and could make the system even more...
Florida House, Senate Differ on PIP Reform; Special Session Possible
Mar 8 2012 // The Florida Senate has rewritten the House’s bill aimed at reforming the state’s no-fault auto law, adding numerous provisions that are opposed by House lawmakers. As a result, there is a chance that the issue...
Oregon Senate Approves Health Insurance Exchange
Mar 7 2012 // The Oregon Senate has approved a measure implementing an online marketplace where individuals and small businesses can shop for health insurance coverage. The vote on Monday sends the measure to Gov. John Kitzhaber, who...
Senate Panel Advances Florida PIP Reform Bill
Mar 2 2012 // A Senate bill aimed at cracking down on the rampant personal injury protection insurance fraud that costs Florida drivers more than $1 billion annually in premiums is headed to the full floor for what promises to be a...
Driver Texting Ban Passes Alabama House, Moves to Senate
Feb 23 2012 // The Alabama House has voted to ban drivers from sending or reading text messages while operating a motor vehicle on Alabama roads. The bill passed the House on a 92-0 vote. It now goes to the Senate for debate. The traffic...
Florida Senate Leader Opposes Immunity for Lawmakers
Feb 22 2012 // The incoming Senate president is opposing a proposal that would allow state lawmakers to wrap themselves in absolute immunity from having to testify in lawsuits. The House Judiciary Committee cleared a Republican bill (PCB...
Missouri Senate Passes Bill Expanding Workers’ Comp to Diseases
Feb 21 2012 // In a move that Republicans contend will make Missouri more attractive to businesses, the state Senate has approved legislation to expand the workers’ compensation program. The measure, SB572, approved with a largely...
Washington Senate Passes $100 Annual Electric Car Fee
Feb 20 2012 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill to charge electric car owners a $100 annual fee to compensate for the lack of gas taxes they pay. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Camano Island Democrat who sponsored the bill,...
Washington Senate Passes $100 Annual Electric Car Fee
Feb 14 2012 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill to charge electric car owners a $100 annual fee to compensate for the lack of gas taxes they pay. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Camano Island Democrat who sponsored the bill,...
Arizona Senate Panel Votes to Bar ‘Wrongful Birth’ Lawsuits
Feb 9 2012 // A Senate panel voted 3-2 to overturn an Arizona Supreme Court to rule that set a precedent in “wrongful birth” lawsuits. The panel said doctors and medical professionals can be held liable only for the cost of...
Florida Senate Panel Clears PIP Fraud Bill But House Showdown Looms
Feb 5 2012 // Florida lawmakers are heading to a showdown over the state’s no-fault automobile insurance law with state Senate lawmakers seeking to reform current law as opposed to a House plan that would repeal the law in favor...
Senate Bill on Iran Sanctions Targets Banks, Subsidiaries, Insurers
Feb 3 2012 // Banking transactions with Iran and financing for its oil shipments could come under tougher scrutiny after a bipartisan sanctions bill easily passed a key U.S. Senate Committee on Thursday. The Senate Banking Committee...
Missouri Democrats Vow to Oppose Discrimination Bill
Feb 1 2012 // Black lawmakers in Missouri, fearful of reversing decades of hard-fought civil rights gains, said they will try to prevent votes in the House and Senate on a measure that would change the state’s workplace...
Oregon GOP Pushes Limits on Medical Malpractice Liability
Jan 31 2012 // Republicans in the Oregon Senate say they’ll fight Gov. John Kitzhaber’s proposed overhaul of the Oregon Health Plan unless it includes limits on medical malpractice claims, injecting a hot-button issue into...
Missouri Senate Debates Workplace Discrimination Bill
Jan 25 2012 // Democrats in the Missouri Senate say a bill revising workplace discrimination laws would make it harder for people to prove the claim against employers. Senate Bill 592 would require workers who fight firings or other...
Senate, House Scuttle Online Piracy Bills
Jan 20 2012 // Senate and House leaders have put their online piracy bills on the back burner after a week of heavy lobbying by technology industry critics of the bills. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best...
Bill to Make Highways Safer on Fast Track in Missouri Senate
Jan 12 2012 // Legislation is on a fast track in the Missouri Senate to make the state comply with federal standards for commercial truckers and drunken driving sentences in an effort to avoid penalties that could dock tens of millions...
Republican Causey To Run for North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Post
Jan 11 2012 // A three-time candidate for North Carolina insurance commissioner said he’s running again for the job. Republican Mike Causey kicked off his campaign in Dare County to draw attention to challenges facing coastal...
Federal Risk Retention Law Needs Clarification: Congressional Report
Jan 10 2012 // The federal law governing risk retention groups should be clarified to reduce the number of disagreements between RRG managers and state regulators and to clarify the coverage RRGs may offer, a Congressional report...
