Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wis. Senate Passes Med-Mal Reform Bill, Awaiting Governor’s Signature
Mar 10 2006 // The American Insurance Association and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies are praising the recent actions of the Wisconsin Legislature in their passage of major tort reform legislation. The Legislature...
Okla. House Committee Approves Republicans’ Lawsuit Reform Bill
Mar 9 2006 // The Oklahoma House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 3120, the Common Sense in the Courtroom Act, which was proposed by the House Republican leadership. The bill now goes to the full House for a...
Oklahoma Senate Votes Against Democrats’ Lawsuit Reform Bill
Mar 8 2006 // The Oklahoma Senate defeated by a vote of 21-25 Senate Bill 1874, which was authored and introduced by the Senate’s Democrat leadership as a lawsuit reform bill. All 21 Republican senators present, joined by four...
Ariz. Senate Backs Higher Hurdle for Some Malpractice Suits
Mar 8 2006 // Arizona’s Senate voted to make it more difficult to win medical malpractice lawsuits over emergency health care, a step which supporters said is needed to prevent physicians from refusing to work in emergency...
Wash. Senate passes changes in unemployment insurance
Mar 6 2006 // Washington Senate Democrats have approved a bill that would permanently change unemployment laws to pay additional benefits to seasonal workers. The measure, which passed on a 25-22 vote, reverses the state’s move...
N.M. GOP Says Planned State Audit Political Payback
Feb 24 2006 // New Mexico’s Department of Labor has ordered what it calls a routine audit of the state GOP, but Republicans suspect politics as the reason for putting them on notice. A state computer randomly selects 200 to 250...
Okla. Senate GOP Claims Democrats Aided Lawyers in Tort Reform Battle
Feb 23 2006 // Oklahoma Senate Republicans are playing hardball, claiming in a news release that trial lawyers won an early victory in the legislative lawsuit reform battle with the help of Democrat “allies” in the state...
Washington Senate passes emergency readiness bill
Feb 20 2006 // A measure to improve Washington’s emergency readiness passed the state Senate, after a lawmaker agreed to bend to insurance industry insistence that the $5.7 million needed come from the state and not a surcharge on...
Colo. senate wants insurers to pay medical bills
Feb 20 2006 // Auto insurers would have to pay ambulance and emergency room bills in car accidents, under a measure backed by a Colorado Senate panel. Officials for hospitals and ambulance services said someone needs to help them pay for...
AIA Takes Issue with Mont. Democratic Party Comments
Feb 16 2006 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) on Thursday called statements by the Montana Democratic Party about former Montana Governor and current AIA President Marc Racicot “outrageous, shameful attempts to make...
Senate Kills $140 Billion Asbestos Fund Over Budget Rule
Feb 15 2006 // On a procedural budget vote, the U.S. Senate yesterday killed a proposed $140 billion private asbestos victims fund that has been years in the making. The final vote was 58 to 41, with 60 votes needed to keep it alive. The...
Wash. Senate Approves Insurance Fraud Unit, Prosecutor
Feb 15 2006 // The Washington state Senate has passed a bill creating the state’s first insurance fraud bureau and adding a fraud prosecutor. SB 6234 passed by a 35-10 margin, and now heads to the House for debate.The bill had to...
Wash. Senate Passes Permanent Changes in Unemployment Insurance
Feb 15 2006 // Wash. Senate Democrats have approved a bill that would permanently change unemployment laws to pay out additional benefits to seasonal workers. The measure, which passed on a 25-22 vote, reverses the state’s move...
Iowa’s GOP Legislators Push Proposal to Cap Punitive Damage Awards
Feb 15 2006 // Republican legislative leaders in Iowa are hoping to cap excessive damage awards with a proposal that would slap a $500,000 limit on punitive damages assessed in medical malpractice lawsuits. Senate Republican President...
Ariz. Senate Considering Law to Protect Consumers’ Information
Feb 14 2006 // Members of the Arizona Senate are considering a bill designed to safeguard the personal information of Arizona residents. SB 1338, authored by Sen. John Huppenthal, R-HD 20, requires businesses to notify their customers if...
Va. House GOP Offers Transportation Plan Minus Tax Hikes
Feb 13 2006 // Virginia House Republicans have offered a $2 billion, four-year financing plan that is underwritten partly by daunting new fines on lead-footed drivers. It provides only about half the additional revenue for roads,...
Washington Senate Passes Emergency Readiness Bill
Feb 13 2006 // A measure to improve Washington’s emergency readiness passed the state Senate, after a lawmaker agreed to bend to insurance industry insistence that the $5.7 million needed come from the state and not a surcharge on...
Big ‘I’ Supports Senate Action on Flood Borrowing Authority
Feb 10 2006 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) said it supports Friday’s Senate vote on a bill, S. 2275, which would extend the borrowing authority of the National Flood...
Insurers Urge Senate to Oppose Asbestos Trust Fund Bill
Feb 8 2006 // Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), an industry organization comprised of more than 1,000 insurance companies, says it opposes S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act, calling the...
Colo. Senate Panel Backs Requiring Auto Insurers to Pay Medical Bills
Feb 3 2006 // Auto insurers would have to pay ambulance and emergency room bills in car accidents under a measure backed by a Colorado Senate panel. Officials for hospitals and ambulance services said someone needs to help them pay for...
