Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Okla. Bill Requiring Senate to OK Work Comp Judges Moves Ahead
Feb 20 2009 // A resolution calling for a vote of the people to determine if gubernatorial Workers’ Compensation Court appointments in Oklahoma should require Senate confirmation passed a House Committee, the state House of...
Insurance Coverage for Autism Passes Montana Senate Panel
Feb 18 2009 // A bill requiring insurance companies to cover autism treatments has been approved by a Montana Senate committee and sent to the Senate floor for debate. Senate Bill 234 passed out of the Business, Labor and Economic...
Washington Senate Democrats Want More Transparency in Rebates
Feb 18 2009 // Senate Democrats proposed increasing oversight of a Washington State business insurance rebate program, citing rebate overpayments of at least $150 million. Last week, the state Department of Labor & Industries...
Oregon Senate Panel Approves Higher Liability Caps
Feb 17 2009 // Lawsuits against Oregon state and local governments could get bigger under a bill approved by the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee. The proposal, Senate Bill 311, would increase government liability caps to boost the...
Georgia Senate Panel Advances Food Safety Measure
Feb 13 2009 // A sweeping new food safety measure proposed in the wake of the salmonella outbreak easily passed its first key legislative hurdle this week as Georgia lawmakers sought to reassure antsy residents. The Senate Agriculture...
Georgia Senate Panel Considers Changes to Food Safety Rules
Feb 11 2009 // State lawmakers are considering new food safety rules in Georgia, where a peanut plant has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people nationwide. The Senate Agriculture Committee is to...
Michigan Governor Expected to Veto Senate Bill Halting Ergonomics Rule
Feb 9 2009 // A divided Michigan Senate has voted to stop Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration from instituting mandatory workplace ergonomics rules in the state. But the 20-16 vote is unlikely to change much. The Democratic...
North Dakota Senate Kills Bill to Ban Credit Scoring in Insurance
Feb 9 2009 // The North Dakota Senate last week killed legislation (SB 2330) that would have banned insurers from using credit information in underwriting and rating. On Feb. 2, the Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee voted do...
U.S. Senate Rejects Cutting Company Repatriation Tax Rate
Feb 4 2009 // The U.S. Senate Tuesday defeated a provision to slash the tax rate on profits that companies bring into the United States from overseas, voting not to include it in the economic stimulus package. The measure would have...
Michigan Senate Republicans Could Block Workplace Ergonomics Rule
Jan 29 2009 // Michigan Republicans are again trying to stop Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration from instituting mandatory workplace ergonomics rules in the state. The Democratic governor has previously vetoed similar...
Montana Senate Advances Fire Bills
Jan 27 2009 // The Montana Senate advanced a plan to identify and map the so-called wildland-urban interface — where homes or other development meet woodlands — despite worries the proposal eventually could harm...
North Dakota Republican Seeks Fines to Curb Driving While Texting
Jan 14 2009 // North Dakota Rep. Lawrence Klemin recalls the driver who pulled alongside him at a stoplight recently, eyes down, thumbs frantically working a tiny keyboard that was propped on the steering wheel. “When the stoplight...
Workers’ Comp Reform on Agenda for Oklahoma Senate GOP
Jan 8 2009 // Reform of the state’s workers’ compensation system is among the policy issues on the agenda for Republicans in the Oklahoma State Senate during the 2009 legislative session. In concurrent news conferences in...
Ohio Senate Votes to Keep Workers’ Compensation Rating System
Dec 19 2008 // The Ohio Senate has signed off on preserving a workers’ compensation rate system that many businesses say is unfair and detrimental to the economy. The Senate voted 31-1 on Dec. 15 to preserve the current group...
Insurers Critical of New Jersey Senate Bill
Dec 18 2008 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) said it strongly opposes a bill recently passed by New Jersey Senate that allows physicians to make self-referrals to their ambulatory surgical centers. PCI said...
Mich. Senate Votes to Require Ignition Devises in Drunk Driving Cases
Dec 12 2008 // Michigan is looking to get tougher on drunken drivers. Legislation approved late Dec. 10 by the state Senate would require drivers with a high blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or more to install an ignition interlock device...
Rhode Island Senate Proposes Crack Down on Drunken Driving
Dec 4 2008 // A Rhode Island state senator says he will introduce three bills in response to a federal report that said the Ocean State is not doing enough to crack down on drunken driving. The National Transportation Safety Board...
Insurance Industry’s Political Contributions to Democrats Spike in 2008
Nov 16 2008 // Political contributions to Democratic candidates in the 2008 election spiked more than 10 percent overall, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, independent research group that tracks...
Democrat Stewart Wins Delaware Insurance Commissioner Race
Nov 5 2008 // Democrat Karen Weldin Stewart rolled to victory in the race to be Delaware’s next insurance commissioner. She defeated Republican John F. Brady, 56.9 percent to 41 percent in the final tally. The former state...
Top Republican Lawmaker Asks AIG to Explain Use of Federal Funds
Nov 3 2008 // U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has asked troubled insurer American International Group Inc to provide full details of its use of a $123 billion government bailout. AIG,...
