Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senate Confirms New FEMA Chief Long
Jun 21 2017 // Brock Long was cleared by the Senate to become President Donald Trump’s emergency-management director Tuesday after gaining the support of one unlikely constituency: environmentalists. While climate advocates panned...
Trump Nominee Kaplan to Tilt Labor Board to Republican Majority
Jun 21 2017 // President Donald Trump was poised on Tuesday to nominate Washington lawyer Marvin Kaplan to the National Labor Relations Board, nudging the agency toward a Republican majority that could overturn a series of decisions that...
Connecticut Governor Says State Senate Bill Ignores Insurance Industry Concerns
Jun 5 2017 // Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy sharply criticized the Connecticut Senate for unanimously passing legislation early Friday that creates a new mandate for health insurers, arguing the bill shows a “lack of...
Texas Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
Jun 5 2017 // The Texas Senate on May 19 passed a measure banning texting while driving statewide. HB 62 by Midland Rep. Tom Craddick previously was approved by the House. While more than 100 cities in the state have texting and driving...
Illinois Senate Passes Bills Requiring Work Comp Pre-Approval, Creating Nonprofit Insurer
May 30 2017 // The Illinois Senate has passed two workers’ compensation measures — one that would require companies writing workers’ comp insurance to get state approval for the rates they charge, and another that creates a...
Republican Health Bill Would Cut Deficit by $119B, Add 23 Million Uninsured: CBO
May 25 2017 // A bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would cause 23 million people to lose healthcare coverage by 2026 while de-stabilizing health insurance markets in some states and making it hard for sick people to buy insurance, a...
Texas Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
May 22 2017 // The Texas Senate on May 19 passed a measure banning texting while driving statewide. HB 62 by Midland Rep. Tom Craddick previously was approved by the House. While more than 100 cities in the state have texting and driving...
Democratic Attorneys General Move to Defend Obamacare Insurer Subsidies
May 19 2017 // More than a dozen Democratic attorneys general on Thursday sought to intervene to defend a key part of the Obamacare healthcare law — subsidy payments to insurance companies — which is under threat in a court...
Bill Setting Statewide Rules for Ridesharing Companies Passes Texas Senate
May 18 2017 // A bill that would preempt local regulations for ridesharing companies in Texas and replace them statewide standards has passed the Texas Senate. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. HB 100,...
Republican Governors Have Own Ideas for Healthcare Reforms
May 18 2017 // A group of about a dozen Republican governors is pushing for its own set of national healthcare reforms, flexing its considerable muscle in the national debate over the future of Obamacare as the U.S. Senate begins writing...
Texas Senate Committee Again Looks at Texting Ban
May 16 2017 // Another bill that would ban texting and driving has been taken up by the Senate State Affairs committee. The committee approved the Senate version, SB 31 by Laredo Sen. Judith Zaffirini in March, but the measure never made...
Berkshire’s Buffett Says Republican Health Plan Is Tax Cut for Wealthy
May 8 2017 // Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett on Saturday fumed that healthcare costs are eating away at the U.S. economy like “tapeworm” and said the Republican approach to overhaul Obamacare is a tax cut...
House Passes Obamacare Repeal, 217-213; Senate Support in Doubt
May 4 2017 // House Republicans mustered just enough votes to pass their health-care bill Thursday, salvaging what at times appeared to be a doomed mission to repeal and partially replace Obamacare under intense pressure from President...
Louisiana GOP Seeks to Divert $190M in Flood Aid to Protection Project
May 4 2017 // House Republican lawmakers are proposing to divert $190 million of Louisiana’s congressional disaster-recovery money to a flood-protection project, a move that would shrink aid earmarked for homeowners struggling to...
Republicans Schedule Health Insurance Vote for Today
May 4 2017 // House Republicans plan to vote Thursday on their long-stalled Obamacare repeal measure, setting up a high-stakes test given the continuing doubts about whether they have enough votes to guarantee...
Republicans Not Ready to Vote on Obamacare Replacement Bill
Apr 28 2017 // House GOP leaders aren’t ready to hold a vote this week on their stalled healthcare bill, despite intense pressure from the White House to deliver on a long-promised repeal of Obamacare. “We’ve been...
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years
Apr 28 2017 // U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30,...
Florida House Advances Bill Targeting Claims Abuse, But Senate Battle Looms
Apr 27 2017 // A bill aimed at decreasing insurance claims abuse in Florida has made it through the Florida House, and the industry’s hope for assignment of benefits reform now officially rests with the state Senate. The Florida...
House Republicans Report Progress on Another Health Plan to Replace Obamacare
Apr 26 2017 // The conservative House Freedom Caucus that helped derail the GOP’s effort last month to repeal Obamacare has formally endorsed a revised measure, potentiality giving it a new lease on life. “While the revised...
Texas ‘Hailstorm’ Bill Passed by Senate Committee
Apr 20 2017 // Texas’ so-called “hailstorm” bill has passed out of the Texas Senate Business & Commerce Committee, its author reports. Senate Bill 10 by committee Chairman Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, is...
