Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Idaho Senate Panel Passes Sobriety Testing Bill
Mar 12 2014 // A bill that would allow Idaho judges to require alcohol breath testing twice a day for some probationers is headed to the full Senate. The bill sponsored Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, gives counties the option to...
N.J. Senate Pres. Calls for More Sandy Aid Funds for Homeowners, Renters
Mar 7 2014 // New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney has crafted his own plan for how the second round of Superstorm Sandy recovery funds is distributed. The Democrat’s plan calls for more funds to flow to homeowners and...
Kansas Senate Passes Bill Raising Limits on Lawsuit Damages
Feb 28 2014 // Kansas Senate has approved a bill that increases the state’s limits on some damages in lawsuits but makes other changes in evidence rules. The Senate’s 32-8 vote sends the measure to the House. The bill is...
Dog Bite Liability Measure Advances in Maryland Senate
Feb 28 2014 // Maryland’s Senate advanced a measure on Wednesday that would hold dog owners liable for bites, but protect those who can prove they didn’t know their dog was dangerous. The bill, which could get a vote in the...
Proposal To Raise Speed Limits In Idaho Clears Senate
Feb 27 2014 // A bid to increase speed limits on Idaho roads raced to a victory on the Senate floor, as lawmakers voted 30-4 to send it on to the House. Legal speeds would jump from 75 to 80 mph on the interstate and from 65 to 70 mph on...
Kentucky Senate Targets Patent Trolls
Feb 27 2014 // A bill that would make it harder for companies that hold large numbers of patents to sue for patent infringement when they don’t produce the patented goods has been passed by the Kentucky Senate. Bill sponsor Sen....
Largest Insurers Would Face Asset Tax Under GOP Plan
Feb 26 2014 // The biggest U.S. banks and insurance companies would have to pay a quarterly 3.5 basis-point tax on assets exceeding $500 billion under a plan to be unveiled this week by Congress’s top Republican tax writer. The...
Private Flood Insurance Bill Passes West Virginia Senate
Feb 24 2014 // A bill to create a private flood insurance option in West Virginia has passed unanimously in the Senate. Sen. Rocky Fitzsimmons said his bill provides residents with more flood insurance options and would help lower...
House Republicans Release Flood Insurance Relief Bill
Feb 24 2014 // House GOP leaders last week put the final touches on legislation that would significantly water down a recently enacted overhaul of the much criticized federal flood insurance program, easing many premium increases and...
Oklahoma Senate Committee OKs Texting and Driving, School Zone Cell Phone Bills
Feb 21 2014 // The Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee has approved legislative measures that would ban texting while driving, as well as the use of cell phones while driving in school zones. Senate Bill 442, by Sen. Ron Sharp, would...
Kentucky Senate Passes Bill Creating Medical Malpractice Panels
Feb 21 2014 // A panel of medical experts would review proposed medical malpractice claims against health care providers before they could be pursued in court under a bill the Kentucky Senate passed this week. The party-line vote in the...
N.J. Senate President Slams Christie Administration’s Handling of Sandy Aid
Feb 20 2014 // New Jersey’s Senate president says the Christie administration’s handling of Superstorm Sandy aid has been “a colossal failure.” Steve Sweeney held an event Wednesday in Perth Amboy to push for his...
Consumer Group Blasts ‘Misleading’ Senate Bill to Delay Flood Insurance Hikes
Feb 19 2014 // The House of Representatives should defeat flood insurance legislation passed by the Senate in January because it “would have the effect of misleading tens of thousands of homeowners concerning their vulnerability to...
Kentucky Senate Committee Advances Contractor, Subcontractor Liability Bill
Feb 18 2014 // Labor contractors would be protected from some litigation under a bill that cleared a Senate panel last week. If passed, the bill would insulate primary contractors from any liability for the illegal practices of their...
Tennessee Senate Approves Guns-in-Parks Bill
Feb 14 2014 // A measure to do away with local government’s power to decide whether to allow firearms in public parks has passed the Senate. The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville was approved...
Kentucky Senate Passes Landlord Dog Bite Liability Protection Bill
Feb 12 2014 // Landlords who live on their own property would not be financially liable for a tenant’s dog if it attacks another person under a bill passed by the Kentucky Senate. Republican Sen. Chris Girdler of Somerset called...
Mississippi Senate Backs Fine for Texting While Driving
Feb 7 2014 // The Mississippi Senate has voted to make texting a driving a crime _ but not much of one. Senate Bill 2434 says anyone caught sending a text message or checking a social media site while driving can be charged with...
Senate to Take Up Chemical Safety Bill After West Virginia Spill
Feb 6 2014 // U.S. senators said they will take up a bill as soon as this week to require inspections and clean-up plans for chemical storage tanks, over the objection of industry, after a West Virginia spill tainted drinking...
Senate Joins House in Passing Farm, Crop Insurance Bill; President Says He Will Sign
Feb 4 2014 // The Senate passed and sent to President Barack Obama a measure that sets U.S. agricultural policy for five years, ending the toughest legislative battle on renewal of the farm bill in almost two decades with cuts to crop...
Key House Republicans Oppose Delaying Flood Insurance Increases
Feb 4 2014 // The effort to delay huge increases in insurance premiums for homeowners in flood-prone areas faces a skeptical House chairman who is largely standing behind the changes Congress oversaw in the nation’s flood...