Latest Politics Headlines

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

Wyoming Senate Kills Workplace Gun Bill

Mar 3 2011 // A Wyoming legislative committee has killed a bill that would have barred employers in the state from prohibiting their workers from keeping guns in their vehicles at the workplace. The Senate Transportation Committee voted...

Senate Amends Patent Reform Bill, Vote Could Come This Week

Mar 2 2011 // The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to strip controversial provisions out of a bipartisan bill to revamp the U.S. patent system and clear a years long backlog of patent applications. The vote was 97 in favor and two...

New Mexico Senate Confirms Workers’ Comp Director

Feb 28 2011 // The New Mexico Senate on Wednesday confirmed Ned Fuller as director of the Workers’ Compensation Administration. Fuller was nominated by Gov. Susana Martinez and began work Jan. 24 as the director designee. Fuller,...

North Carolina Senate Panel Alters Malpractice Awards Cap Bill

Feb 28 2011 // A legislative committee debating a measure that would place limits on awards in medical malpractice lawsuits and change some rules for the litigation could vote on the measure early this week. The Senate Finance Committee...

South Dakota Senate Panel Rejects Subrogation Bill

Feb 27 2011 // A measure aimed at changing South Dakota’s insurance law to give some injured people a better chance of receiving full compensation for their losses has been rejected by a state Senate committee. However, one of the...

Oklahoma Senate Votes for $250K Limit on Jury Awards

Feb 25 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved a bill to limit pain and suffering awards to $250,000, despite concerns from members that the decision should be made by juries. The Senate voted 29-18 for the bill by Sen. Anthony Sykes,...

Senate to Vote on Patent Damages Reform After Break

Feb 22 2011 // The U.S. Senate aims to begin consideration next month of a bipartisan bill to revamp the U.S. patent system and reduce the likelihood of what critics see as excessive damage awards, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid...

Wisconsin Senate Passes Lower Car Insurance Levels

Feb 21 2011 // The Wisconsin state Senate passed legislation that would lower minimum levels of auto insurance. Car insurance would still be required under the bill passed on a bipartisan 25-7 vote, but the levels of coverage required...

Wisconsin Senate Passes Lower Car Insurance Levels

Feb 21 2011 // The Wisconsin state Senate passed legislation that would lower minimum levels of auto insurance. Car insurance would still be required under the bill passed on a bipartisan 25-7 vote, but the levels of coverage required...

Regulators Face Senate Panel Over Dodd-Frank Regulations Today

Feb 17 2011 // Republicans will escalate their push to delay and defund the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reforms on Thursday as top regulators appear before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee with a new chairman presiding. Replacing Christopher...

Mississippi Senate Passes Proof of Auto Insurance Bill

Feb 15 2011 // The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill requiring motorists to show proof they have purchased liability insurance before receiving a car tag. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Billy Hewes, a Republican from Gulfport, who...

Michigan Senate Approves Bill Banning Mandatory Ergonomics Rules

Feb 14 2011 // The Michigan Senate has approved a bill that would prevent administrative rules mandating workplace ergonomics rules. The bill from Republican Sen. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge was approved by a 25-12 vote last Thursday and...

Invited by GOP, Businesses Vent About EPA, OSHA, Dodd-Frank Rules

Feb 11 2011 // On issues ranging from the air we breathe to the noise factories make, business leaders want the government to stay out of their way. And the Republicans, looking toward the 2012 elections, are listening. The House’s...

Oklahoma Senate Committee Passes Lawsuit Reforms

Feb 10 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 8 approved five lawsuit reform measures that are key components of the Senate Republican legislative agenda. “We have been working on lawsuit reform for years, taking...

Wisconsin Senate Passes Lower Car Insurance Levels

Feb 10 2011 // The Wisconsin state Senate has passed legislation that would lower minimum levels of car insurance and make it more difficult to approve of sales and income tax increases. Car insurance would still be required under the...

New Jersey Senate Panel OKs Lower Vehicle Fines

Feb 9 2011 // A bill advanced by the Senate Transportation Committee on this week gives some New Jersey drivers a break. The bill reduces the maximum fine for driving without a license, registration or insurance card if the driver can...

Wisconsin Senate to Take up Car Insurance Legislation

Feb 8 2011 // Minimum levels of car insurance that were increased two years ago would drop back down again under a bill up for a vote in the state Senate. Trial lawyers fought for the changes approved by the Democratic-controlled...

Florida Senate Committee Postpones Vote on Property Legislation

Feb 8 2011 // For the second straight week, the Florida Banking and Insurance Committee failed to reach a final vote on its comprehensive property insurance bill. The delay comes as committee members remain bogged down over how to...

Florida Senate Looking to Expand Commercial Deregulation

Feb 8 2011 // The Florida Senate and Banking Insurance Committee has approved a bill that would deregulate a variety of commercial lines of insurance by allowing insurers to offer the coverage without first obtaining the Office of...

Some in Illinois GOP Want to Link Workers’ Comp Reform, State Borrowing

Feb 7 2011 // Illinois lawmakers left two big pieces of unfinished business when they went home after voting to raise income taxes. One piece would make Illinois a less expensive place to do business, and the other would get billions of...