Latest Politics Headlines

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

Republican Giuliani Tells Fla. He Backs National Catastrophe Plan

Jan 14 2008 // Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said that his experience as New York City’s mayor during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is a big reason why he supports a national insurance backup...

Pa. Senate Votes to Extend Doctors’ Malpractice Insurance Subsidy

Dec 13 2007 // The Pennsylvania Senate voted Tuesday to extend a malpractice insurance subsidy for doctors and hospitals through next year but rejected an effort by Democrats to divert a surplus from a malpractice reserve fund to pay for...

N.J. Senate Passes Agent-Friendly Auto Insurance Changes

Dec 11 2007 // New Jersey insurance agents would no longer be required to offer auto insurance quotes from all of their companies under a bill recently passed by the state’s legislature. The bill, which carries the backing of both...

Senate Approves Terrorism Insurance Backstop Extension

Dec 2 2007 // The Senate passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (TRIPRA) of 2007, its version of legislation that will extend the federal terrorism insurance backstop. The current federal terrorism reinsurance...

Republican Chaney Elected Miss. Commissioner

Nov 18 2007 // Newly elected Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says he will work to reduce insurance rates but realizes that it can only be accomplished by employing the right combination of factors. “Competition and...

Senate Approves Terrorism Backstop Extension

Nov 16 2007 // The Senate today passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (TRIPRA) of 2007, legislation that will extend the federal terrorism insurance backstop. The current federal terrorism reinsurance program...

Mich. Senate: Lawmakers Must Work Longer for Health Benefits at 55

Nov 15 2007 // MIchigan Lawmakers no longer would get full health care coverage in retirement for just six years of work under legislation recently approved in the state Senate. After serving six years, current legislators get 90 percent...

Senate Bills Offer Tax Credits, Loans to Help Property Owners Hit by Disasters

Nov 13 2007 // Saying he believes that immediate assistance is needed for those living near coastal areas who are grappling with skyrocketing property insurance premiums, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking,...

Mich. Senate Panel Votes to Change Lawmakers’ Health Care, Pay

Nov 8 2007 // A Michigan state Senate panel on Tuesday voted to change health care benefits for future lawmakers when they retire. After working six years, current lawmakers qualify to get 90 percent of their health care covered once...

Democrats Retain Control of New Jersey Legislature

Nov 8 2007 // Democrats retained control of the New Jersey Legislature on Tuesday, boosting their Senate majority by one and maintaining their Assembly advantage amid concerns over the state’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes...

Democrat Beshear Defeats Ky. Governor Who was Indicted in Scandal

Nov 8 2007 // Democrat Steve Beshear easily defeated the scandal-plagued Republican incumbent Tuesday to become governor of Kentucky, pulling off a political comeback 20 years after he last held office. Gov. Ernie Fletcher had won four...

Congressional Hearing Again Targets Regulatory Reform

Oct 31 2007 // No one argues the need to revamp the regulatory structure of the insurance industry, but just how to reform regulation remains the big question for legislators considering the issue. Some in the insurance industry support...

Congressional Leaders Oppose Miss. Plan to Divert Housing Funds

Oct 19 2007 // Two congressional leaders on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reject a Mississippi plan to divert $600 million in Hurricane Katrina housing funds to an expansion project for the State...

House Joins Senate in Passing Rail Safety Bill with Hour Limits

Oct 19 2007 // he House acted this week to reduce the working hours of railroad crews, with lawmakers saying employee fatigue is a major factor in train accidents. The labor rule changes were part of a railroad safety bill that also...

Mich. Senate Okays ‘Opt-out’ Option for State’s Helmet Law

Oct 18 2007 // A Michigan Senate Committee passed legislation on Wednesday, Oct. 17 that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. The bill is expected to be voted on by the State Senate in the near...

Senate Panel Releases Compromise Terrorism Insurance Bill

Oct 17 2007 // Senate leaders have agreed on a bill to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program, although without some of the added provisions and for not as long as the House of Representatives wants. The Senate Banking...

Senate Flood Insurance Bill Keeps Current Limits, Omits Wind Coverage

Oct 17 2007 // The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has approved legislation to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. The Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 will now move to the floor of the full Senate. The U.S....

Ky. GOP Chairman: Cut Candidate’s Former Law Firm

Oct 11 2007 // Kentucky’s GOP chairman wants the Office of Insurance to terminate the contract of a Lexington law firm that has represented the state agency for more than a decade in the bankruptcy of Kentucky Central Life...

Congressional Report Questions Germ Labs’ Security

Oct 5 2007 // Federal terror-fighting agencies can’t identify all the American research laboratories that could become targets of attackers, congressional investigators have found. The Government Accountability Office asked a...

Safety Group Opposes Ill. Senate Bill that Increases Truck Speed Limits

Oct 4 2007 // A safety group is speaking out about the what they say are the dangers of the override of Illinois SB 540, which allows large tractor-trailer trucks to travel on rural, four-lane highways at the same speed limits as...