Latest Politics Headlines

All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Republican Plan Would Scrap Much of Dodd-Frank Financial Regulation

Jun 8 2016 // The chair of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee has proposed getting rid of much of the regulation put in place after the financial crisis, unveiling a plan on Tuesday that ignited fierce debate in the...

California Senate OKs Bill to Avert License Suspensions for Minor Offenses

May 31 2016 // The California Senate on Tuesday passed legislation by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, that stops the automatic suspension of driver’s licenses for people who fail to appear in court on minor traffic offenses...

IIABNY Lauds New York Senate Committee’s Approval of Workers’ Comp Bill

May 24 2016 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) applauded a New York Senate committee’s action to protect employers from surprise insurance premium increases in their workers’ compensation...

House, Senate Republicans Divided Over Zika Funding

May 18 2016 // House and Senate Republicans can’t get on the same page when it comes to fighting the Zika virus — and Democrats are pouncing.The Senate, on a 68-29 vote, advanced $1.1 billion of the administration’s...

Obama Administration Finalizes Rules on Company Wellness Programs

May 17 2016 // A federal agency on Monday released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives of up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without...

Ex-New York Senate Leader Skelos, Son Get Prison Terms

May 16 2016 // A once-powerful New York politician convicted of using his position as Senate majority leader to help his son extort hundreds of thousands of dollars was sentenced May 12 to five years in prison after each asked for mercy...

Obama Administration Calls for Stricter Building Codes

May 11 2016 // President Barack Obama is asking the private sector to tighten building standards to reduce losses from natural disasters after studies linked an increase in extreme weather to climate change.The administration will...

South Carolina Senate Approves $40M Farmer Flood Aid

May 2 2016 // The Senate has approved a bill providing $40 million to South Carolina farmers devastated by last fall’s flooding.Senators voted 33-3 Thursday on legislation allowing farmers in disaster-declared counties to apply...

Climate Change and The Conservative Republican

Apr 28 2016 // If you’re a conservative Republican, there’s a decent chance that you believe in climate change.Compared with two years ago that is. Don’t tell this to Rush Limbaugh or presidential hopeful Donald Trump....

Republicans Call for State Pools to Replace Obamacare Safeguards for Sickest Insureds

Apr 28 2016 // U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan called on Wednesday for an end to Obamacare’s financial protections for people with serious medical conditions, saying these consumers should be placed in state...

Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Passes in Louisiana Senate

Apr 22 2016 // A day after falling one vote short, backers of a proposal to expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana law to cover more diseases found success in the state Senate.Senators voted 21-16 for the proposal from Sen. Fred...

Autism Insurance Coverage Bill Passed by Oklahoma Senate

Apr 19 2016 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation that requires health insurers to cover the treatment of children with autism. The Senate voted 36-5 for House Bill 2962 and returned it to the House for consideration of Senate...

Texas Republican Congressman Named Big ‘I’ Legislator of the Year

Apr 15 2016 // Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, is the Gerald Solomon-Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Legislator...

Religious Groups, Obama Administration Cool to Supreme Court Birth Control Proposal

Apr 14 2016 // The U.S. Supreme Court got a mixed reaction from the Obama administration and religious groups to its unusual proposal to resolve a clash over employee insurance coverage for contraceptives.In a court filing Tuesday, U.S....

Lawyers Seek Mercy for Ex-New York Senate Leader Skelos and Son

Mar 25 2016 // New York’s former Senate leader and his son, who were convicted alongside one another on charges that the once-powerful Republican used his office to extort about $300,000 in salary and other benefits for the son,...

Georgia Senate Stalls Bill to Expand Medical Marijuana Eligibility

Mar 16 2016 // A bill to expand the diseases eligible for medical marijuana in Georgia has stalled in the Senate with just a few days remaining in the legislative session.Republican state Rep. Allen Peake of Macon hoped to pass...

After Mass. House OK, Senate Takes Up Uber Regulations

Mar 14 2016 // It seems likely based on recent legislative developments that Massachusetts will adopt regulations for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, but it’s still far too early to assume what the final rules might...

Senate Bill Would Require Testing Drone Operators on Rules of the Sky

Mar 10 2016 // All U.S. drone operators would for the first time have to prove they understand aviation regulations under broad legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate.A bill setting policy for the Federal Aviation Administration...

Vermont Republicans Call for Review of State’s Health Exchange

Feb 22 2016 // Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and the state’s legislative Republican leaders are calling for an independent assessment of the Vermont Health Connect state insurance exchange, with an eye toward possibly closing it and...

New Mexico Senate OKs Uber, Lyft Operations

Feb 19 2016 // A bill aimed at welcoming and regulating ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft in New Mexico has been approved by state Senate.The Senate passed the legislation Thursday morning. The legal status of the companies has...