Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wyoming Senate Kills Workplace Safety Bill
Mar 5 2010 // A bill that would have increased employer penalties for workplace safety violations died in the Wyoming State Senate. House Bill 93 had come out of a worker safety task force Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed last year to...
Arizona Bill Banning Texting While Driving Dies in Senate
Mar 3 2010 // The Arizona Senate in an 11-11 vote failed to pass a bill that would have banned texting on a cell phone while driving. If it had passed, SB 1334 would have imposed fines of $50 for from operating a motor vehicle on a...
Flood Insurance Program Closed; No Policies Until Senate Votes
Mar 1 2010 // The Senate last week failed to vote on bills to extend several federal programs including jobless benefits, COBRA subsidies, transportation project funding and flood insurance before these programs expired Feb. 28. A...
Obama, Republicans Clash at Healthcare Summit
Feb 26 2010 // President Barack Obama and Republicans clashed frequently Thursday at a summit on his stalled healthcare overhaul, battling over the size and cost of the proposal and moving no closer to a compromise agreement. Obama told...
Obama Officials Say Health Plan Has Republican Ideas
Feb 25 2010 // Republicans should find things to like in President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plan because they were taken from Republican bills or have been advocated by Republicans, the president’s top healthcare...
Obama Hopeful, Republicans Wary as Healthcare Summit Takes to Airwaves
Feb 25 2010 // President Barack Obama launches a last-ditch bid to salvage his stalled healthcare overhaul Thursday at a televised summit that could offer more potential for political theater than problem solving. After months of heated...
Hawaii Senate Committee OKs Using Hurricane Relief Fund to End Furloughs
Feb 23 2010 // Hawaii’s Senate Ways and Means Committee has advanced a bill that would use money from the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund to end school furlough days. Senate Bill 2124notes that reductions and restrictions to...
Georgia Republican’s Bill Would Curb Insurance Execs’ Political Contributions
Feb 21 2010 // A Republican lawmaker who is running for governor in Georgia has introduced legislation to ban executives of insurance companies from contributing to a political campaign for the office of state insurance commissioner or...
Workers’ Comp Bills Move Out of Oklahoma Senate Committee
Feb 17 2010 // Two measures aimed at reforming Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system have passed out of the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee. Both bills were authored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee. The...
New Mexico Senate Approves Liability Bill for Spaceport
Feb 16 2010 // Legislation aimed at protecting New Mexico’s spaceport from liability while the commercial space industry tackles the hazards of space flight was approved by a 37-0 vote in the state Senate. The approval is a victory...
Democrats Seize on Wellpoint’s 39% Rate Hike to Renew Reform Effort
Feb 12 2010 // Health insurer WellPoint Inc. defended its rate hike of up to 39 percent for certain California customers as Democrats latched onto the increase to press their case for overhauling the U.S. healthcare system. The...
What Republicans Are Proposing for Healthcare Reform
Feb 11 2010 // President Barack Obama has asked Republicans to bring their best ideas on healthcare reform to a televised bipartisan meeting later this month that Democrats hope will help restart the stalled healthcare overhaul...
Democrat: Kan. House Speaker Should Step Down Due to Insurance Ties
Feb 8 2010 // A Democratic legislator called for Kansas’ Republican House speaker to step down because he is representing businesses, trade groups and insurance funds in a lawsuit against the state. State Rep. Marti Crow said...
Mandatory Seat Belt Bills Clear Virginia Senate
Jan 29 2010 // The Virginia Senate has passed a bill to allow police to pull over and ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt. The bill passed 24-16 Wednesday and heads to the House, where similar efforts have died in past...
Michigan Senate Follows House, OKs Ban on Texting While Driving
Jan 28 2010 // Michigan lawmakers took a key step this week toward prohibiting the use of cell phones to send or read text messages while driving, but some say the measure is watered down and wouldn’t do enough to crack down on...
Workers’ Comp Reform High on Oklahoma GOP Legislative Agenda
Jan 24 2010 // Reforming Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system will be among the top legislative goals for Republican lawmakers in 2010. GOP leaders in the state Senate and House of Representatives say overhaul of the...
Pelosi Says Senate Healthcare Bill Can’t Pass in House
Jan 22 2010 // House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she did not think the Senate’s version of healthcare reform had enough support to pass the House of Representatives without changes. “I don’t see the votes for...
Wisconsin Senate OKs Bill That Expands Malpractice Claims
Jan 21 2010 // The Wisconsin Senate has approved a bill that would allow for more medical malpractice claims against health care providers. The approved bill allows parents to sue for pain and suffering damages if their adult-aged...
U.S. Senate Vote Dims Hopes for Stronger World Climate Pact
Jan 21 2010 // Hopes for stronger world action in 2010 to curb climate change have dimmed after the U.S. Democrats lost a key Senate seat to a Republican opposed to capping emissions, experts said Wednesday. The election of Republican...
Republican Win in Massachusetts Could Jeopardize Healthcare Bill
Jan 20 2010 // In a stunning blow to President Barack Obama, Republican Scott Brown won a bitter U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts Tuesday and promised to be the deciding vote against his sweeping healthcare overhaul. Brown’s win...
