Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Democrat Savage Joins Race for Delaware Insurance Commissioner
Mar 31 2008 // A Sussex County Democrat is running for Delaware insurance commissioner. Tom Savage filed to run for the seat earlier this month, setting up a primary against Gene Reed of Bear. Savage, a former deputy Wilmington fire...
Kansas House, Senate Must Resolve Who Gets State Aid on Health
Mar 28 2008 // Legislators are committed to modest health care improvements, but the House and Senate disagree about which uninsured Kansans should get help from the state. The House approved a bill Tuesday on a 103-20 vote to provide a...
South Carolina Senate Bill Aimed at Reducing Teen Driver Accidents
Mar 27 2008 // South Carolina’s youngest drivers would have to go through more training before getting a regular license under a bill that has won approval in a Senate panel. Sen. Joel Lourie says requiring four hours of private...
Florida Senate Passes Bill to Reduce Insurers’ Catastrophe Coverage Limits
Mar 27 2008 // Legislation passed by the Florida Senate this week would reduce the amount of state-funded reinsurance that insurers can purchase under the temporary increase in coverage limit (TICL) program. The Senate bill would reduce...
U.S. Senate Approves Legislation Targeting Consumer Product Safety
Mar 24 2008 // A bill to crack down on dangerous consumer products was approved by the U.S. Senate in early March after a year of recalls of millions of lead-tainted toys and other hazardous products, many made in China. The bill would...
Michigan Senate Plan for Health Insurance Segment Coming Soon
Mar 21 2008 // A Republican in the Michigan Senate is expected to propose changes to rules guiding Michigan’s health insurance market for individuals who aren’t covered by employer or government plans. Senator Tom George...
Maryland Senate Revives Ban on Cell Phones, Texting While Driving
Mar 20 2008 // A cell phone driving ban that has been rejected many times by Maryland lawmakers — as recently as last week — is alive again and headed for approval in the Maryland Senate. But it’s still unclear whether this is...
Update: Kentucky Senate Passes Mine Safety Bill
Mar 20 2008 // The Kentucky Senate passed legislation that would require coal companies to post their global positioning system (GPS) coordinates at mine sites so that medical helicopters can be given precise directions in cases of...
Update: Mississippi Senate Sends Gov. Bill to Give $25M to Wind Pool
Mar 18 2008 // The Mississippi Senate sent Gov, Haley Barbour a bill last week to transfer $25 million into a fund that assists the state wind pool. The wind pool has about 36,000 policies. Most are held by homeowners in six south...
Minnesota Senate Keeps Cap on Payments to Worst-hurt Bridge Victims
Mar 18 2008 // The Minnesota Senate has voted against lifting a state liability cap as they consider a compensation fund for victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. By a 53-9 vote, the Senate stuck with a $400,000 cap on...
Fla. Senate Makes Recommendations on Property Insurance Accountability
Mar 14 2008 // The Florida Senate Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability wants to restrict reinsurance costs in rates and strengthen the excess profits law among other things. Co-chaired by Sen. Jeff Atwater, R- North Palm...
Identity Theft, Privacy Addressed in Bill Passed by Okla. Senate
Mar 13 2008 // Legislation aimed at preventing identity theft and protecting the privacy of Oklahoma’s citizens has passed the Oklahoma Senate. Senate Bill 1745, sponsored by Sen. Randy Bass, D-Lawton, won unanimous approval. The...
Kentucky Senate Passes Bill to Tighten Rules on Amusement Park Rides
Mar 13 2008 // Potential fines would increase tenfold and the age of amusement park ride operators would rise under a bill the Kentucky Senate has passed unanimously. The action follows an accident at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom last year...
Senate Confronts Product Safety
Mar 7 2008 // A bill to crack down on dangerous consumer products was approved by the U.S. Senate Thursday after a year of recalls of millions of lead-tainted toys and other hazardous products, many made in China. The bill would beef up...
Elevator Safety Rules Subject of Fight in W. Va. Senate Committee
Mar 6 2008 // Elevator safety and licensing rules recommended by a recent legislative audit and passed by the West Virginia House disguise a bid by the industry’s union to preserve and enhance its share of the market, the...
Colorado Senate Backs Raising Medical Malpractice Cap
Mar 5 2008 // The Colorado Senate has given final approval to a bill that would increase the amount juries can award in some medical malpractice suits. Senate Bill 164 applies to cases where someone has been disfigured or impaired. It...
Suspended N.D. Workers’ Comp Executive Running for State Senate
Mar 5 2008 // A suspended executive at North Dakota’s workers compensation agency is running for the state Senate. Democratic activists in central North Dakota’s District 14 endorsed James Long to oppose incumbent Republican...
S.C. House Toughens Drunk Driving Bill; Gov. Sanford Urges Senate Follow
Mar 5 2008 // The South Carolina Congress amended key penalties in a bill aimed at toughening the state’s drunk driving laws, which Gov. Mark Sanford called for in his state of the state address as part of his “First 30 Days...
Kan. Senate Passes Flex Rating Legislation
Mar 4 2008 // The Kansas Senate unanimously approved a flex rating bill, SB 560, supported the insurance industry. The bill now heads to the House. Based on the National Conference of Insurance Legislators’ (NCOIL) Flex-Rating...
Miss. Senate Approves $25 Million for Wind Pool to Help Gulf Coast
Mar 3 2008 // Freshman Sen. Michael Watson knows the sting of rising insurance costs on the hurricane-battered Mississippi Gulf Coast. Watson said after Hurricane Katrina struck more than two years ago, he lost his home’s wind...
