Latest Politics Headlines

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

House, Senate Healthcare Bills Have Major Differences

Nov 19 2009 // The healthcare legislation released by the Senate’s Democratic leaders Wednesday resembles a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Nov. 7 in many ways but there are some major differences between the two.The...

Insurance Agent Seeks GOP Nod in Pennsylvania Congressional Race

Nov 17 2009 // An insurance agent from Meadville, Pennsylvania says he’ll seek the Republican nomination for the 3rd Congressional District in northwestern Pennsylvania. Fifty-one-year-old Steven Fisher says he’ll challenge...

Senate Financial Regulation Bill Hikes Credit Rating Firms’ Liability

Nov 16 2009 // Credit rating agencies, accused of assigning top ratings to shoddy securities, would be exposed to greater liability under a wide-ranging financial services reform bill released by a leading U.S. senator. The draft bill...

Wisconsin Republicans Aim to Repeal Auto Insurance Mandates

Nov 15 2009 // Republican legislators in Wisconsin are trying to muster support for a bill that would repeal new minimum car insurance mandates. The state budget Gov. Jim Doyle signed earlier this year required all motorists to purchase...

Senate Bill Calls for New Financial Stability Agency, Insurance Office

Nov 11 2009 // A government financial stability agency would be created under a draft financial regulation reform bill from U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd obtained by Reuters Tuesday.The long-awaited Dodd bill...

Insurance Trades Cast Wary Eyes at Senate Financial Services Bill

Nov 11 2009 // Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) of the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday introduced a draft of the long-awaited financial services regulatory reform bill. While insurance industry representatives were quick to...

U.S. Senate Passes Tax Loss Credit for Business

Nov 6 2009 // U.S. companies of all sizes would get to apply losses in 2008 or 2009 to prior income over five years to receive tax refunds under a bill that passed the Senate by a unanimous vote Wednesday.The provision was added to...

Wisconsin Republicans Rail Against Auto Insurance Provisions

Nov 4 2009 // Republican legislators in Wisconsin are trying to muster support for a bill that would repeal new minimum car insurance levels. The state budget Gov. Jim Doyle signed earlier this year required all motorists to purchase...

House Republicans Plan Own Healthcare Reform Bill

Nov 3 2009 // Republicans in the House plan to offer an alternative to Democrats’ massive healthcare reform bill that would not raise taxes or require people or businesses to buy health insurance, the House Republican leader said...

Michigan Senate Rejects Ban on Location in Setting Auto Premiums

Oct 30 2009 // The Republican-led Michigan Senate has killed legislation that would have banned auto insurers from considering where a driver lives when setting rates.Democrats say the practice is unfair to motorists who pay higher...

Obama Administration to Reconsider Trucker Safety Rule on Hours

Oct 29 2009 // The Obama administration has agreed to reconsider a rule that allows long-haul truckers to drive for up to 11 hours straight, bowing to safety advocates who say longer hours could lead to greater fatigue and more...

U.S. Senate Healthcare Bill to Include Public Option with State Opt-Out

Oct 27 2009 // Democratic leader Harry Reid said Monday the U.S. Senate’s healthcare overhaul will include a government-run insurance plan that lets states opt out, handing liberals an early victory on the bill’s most...

Republicans Seek to Add Malpractice, Kill Individual Mandate in Health Bill

Oct 20 2009 // Republicans will seek amendments to parts of the Democrat’s healthcare reform they oppose, rather than push for an alternative plan to overhaul the $2.5 trillion system, a key senator said Monday.Conservatives are...

Senate Panel Passes Healthcare Bill

Oct 14 2009 // A key U.S. Senate committee endorsed a sweeping healthcare overhaul Tuesday, gaining the support of an influential Republican and delivering President Barack Obama a victory on his top domestic priority.The...

Comparison of 2 Senate Committee Health Bills

Oct 14 2009 // Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its version of healthcare reform legislation, Senate Democratic leaders will merge it with a more liberal bill passed earlier by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and...

Senate Finance Panel to Vote Today on Healthcare Reform Bill

Oct 13 2009 // U.S. President Barack Obama’s push for healthcare reform gathered steam Thursday as a Senate panel scheduled a key vote and Democrats in the House of Representatives moved closer to hatching a bill.The Senate Finance...

Medical Lawsuit Curbs Would Save Billions, Congressional Study Finds

Oct 12 2009 // Limits on medical malpractice lawsuits would lead doctors to order up fewer unneeded tests and save taxpayers billions more than previously thought, budget umpires for Congress said in a reversal that puts the issue back...

Democrats’ Bill Would Reverse Supreme Court on Age Bias

Oct 8 2009 // Democrats in Congress are trying to counter another Supreme Court decision on employment discrimination, this time taking aim at a ruling that makes it harder for older workers to prove age bias.A measure introduced this...

U.S. Senate Panel Rejects Public Healthcare Option; More Votes Ahead

Sep 30 2009 // A U.S. Senate panel Tuesday rejected a government-run “public” insurance option as part of a broad healthcare overhaul, handing insurers an early victory and setting the stage for a long fight over one of the...

California’s Poizner Cheered at Republican Meeting

Sep 28 2009 // California Republicans spent much of their weekend convention soul-searching over the battered party’s future and debating a plan of attack for 2010, when they hope to capitalize on anti-tax protests and growing...