All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
May 14 2020 // Republican legislators in Kansas are joining a broader effort to shield doctors, hospitals and businesses from lawsuits stemming from the coronavirus, with business and medical groups pushing them to act quickly.The effort...
May 8 2020 // Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday issued a new policy that will reshape the way schools and universities respond to complaints of sexual misconduct, bolstering the rights of the accused and narrowing the scope...
May 4 2020 // The top Republicans in the U.S. Congress displayed a united front on Friday in their drive for coronavirus-related liability protections for businesses, saying such measures will be crucial to talks about future relief...
May 1 2020 // U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Thursday defended his department’s handling of workplace safety during the coronavirus pandemic, saying “the cop is on the beat” in response to union criticism about...
Apr 27 2020 // The Supreme Court ruled last week that sewage plants and other industries cannot avoid environmental requirements under landmark clean-water protections when they send dirty water on an indirect route to rivers, oceans and...
Mar 25 2020 // U.S. senators will vote on Wednesday on a $2 trillion bipartisan package of legislation to alleviate the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, hoping it will become law quickly so they can get out of...
Mar 16 2020 // A medical marijuana bill cleared its first floor vote Thursday in the Alabama Legislature as advocates hope to make headway after years of setbacks.The Alabama Senate vote 22-10 for the bill by Republican Sen. Tim Melson...
Mar 11 2020 // Missouri state senators have passed a wide-ranging bill that would ban marijuana-infused candy for medical use, an attempt to ensure children don’t accidentally eat the drug.The measure would ban candy, lollipops,...
Mar 10 2020 // Business groups see an opportunity with the new, more conservative Republican-led Louisiana Legislature to gain traction on a top goal, to rein in civil lawsuits and damage awards against them.GOP lawmakers have made the...
Mar 5 2020 // The Oklahoma Senate has passed legislation that strengthens laws related to workplace safety in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.Senate Bill 1290, the Medical Care Provider Protection Act, by Sen. Darrell Weaver,...
Mar 2 2020 // A Georgia Senate bill backed by Republicans aims to take on the tall task of limiting lawsuits in state courts, citing high legal costs faced by businesses.Senate Bill 415, sponsored by state Sen. Steve Gooch of Dahlonega,...
Feb 28 2020 // Missouri’s Republican-led Senate swiftly advanced a bill tightening standards for punitive damages in liability lawsuits after an all-night filibuster by Democrats successfully blocked a separate bill limiting...
Feb 27 2020 // The Oklahoma Senate has passed legislation that would require any child under the age of 17 to wear a seat belt while riding in the back seat of a vehicle.Current Oklahoma law only requires children under the age of eight...
Feb 26 2020 // Georgia senators voted Monday to let people build homes that could be flooded by dams without raising safety standards for the upstream dam.The state Senate voted 47-6 to pass Senate Bill 319, sending it to the House for...
Feb 21 2020 // A medical marijuana bill cleared its first hurdle Wednesday in the Alabama Legislature, giving hope to advocates after years of setbacks.Audience members applauded as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-1 for the bill,...
Feb 18 2020 // The Arizona Senate has passed a bill designed to boost protections for firefighters and other first responders who are diagnosed with cancers linked to the workplace.The proposal from Republican Sen. Heather Carter ensures...
Feb 18 2020 // The Washington Senate has passed a data privacy measure that would give consumers the right to manage how information held by private companies is used. The measure, called the Washington Privacy Act, passed on a...
Feb 14 2020 // School teachers in Oklahoma with a gun license would be able to carry firearms into their classrooms with district approval under a bill approved in the state Senate.The bill, approved on a 37-7 vote mostly along party...
Feb 13 2020 // Two years after a train carrying Republican members of Congress collided with a garbage truck, five passengers have filed lawsuits against the driver, trash company and train conductor.Dana Naylor Jr., 32, was acquitted of...
Feb 10 2020 // The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that provides $20 million for flood relief requested by Gov. Kim Reynolds to help shore up levees in southwest Iowa in anticipation of flooding along the Missouri River this spring.All 48...