Latest Politics Headlines

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

Indiana Senate OKs Bill Making Pregnant Worker Accommodations Optional

Apr 9 2021 // Indiana legislators gave final approval to a bill that won’t require businesses to make accommodations for pregnant workers, despite an appeal from Gov. Eric Holcomb for a law requiring more protections.The proposal...

South Carolina Senate Passes Bill to Ticket Slow Drivers in Left Lane

Apr 1 2021 // The South Carolina Senate has passed a bill to fine people who don’t get over from the left lane of a three-lane highway when overtaken by traffic.The version passed last week by the Senate fines drivers $25 but does...

Bill to Legalize Recreational Pot Dies in North Dakota Senate

Mar 29 2021 // North Dakota’s Republican-led Senate has killed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.Only 10 of the chamber’s 47 senators voted for the measure. The bill passed the GOP-led House last...

Maryland Senate Passes Measure to Fight Climate Change

Mar 16 2021 // The Maryland Senate voted Friday for a package of steps to fight climate change by planting 5 million trees over 10 years, increasing energy efficient buildings and committing to more electric state vehicle use.The measure...

Florida Senate Weighs Legal Immunity Against COVID Lawsuits

Mar 16 2021 // A measure that would shield businesses from COVID-related lawsuits could make it before the Florida Senate later this week, providing another key test for a measure that supporters assert will protect against frivolous...

Lawmakers Reviewing Alabama Medical Marijuana Legislation Passed by Senate

Mar 12 2021 // The Alabama House of Representatives began a lengthy review of medical marijuana legislation on Wednesday, requiring the bill to go through two committees before it can secure a vote by the full House.The Alabama Senate...

South Dakota Senate Pushes Permissive Medical Pot Law, Defying Governor

Mar 12 2021 // South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s push to scale back a voter-approved measure to legalize medical marijuana was left clinging to life on March 10 after Republican senators defied her.The issue of implementing a medical...

Kentucky Senate Backs COVID Liability Shield for Businesses

Mar 3 2021 // Legislation that would provide broad protections to shield Kentucky businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits won approval from the state Senate after a long debate Monday evening.Senate President Robert Stivers...

Colorado Senate Endorses Easing Civil Action Limits for Child Abuse Suits

Mar 3 2021 // Colorado’s Senate tentatively endorsed a bill this week to eliminate a six-year statute of limitations for victims of child sexual assault to pursue civil action against perpetrators, an effort lawmakers have...

Democratic House Chairs Urge N95 Mask Requirement for Meatpacking Plant Workers

Mar 2 2021 // Key Democratic House Committee chairs asked the Biden administration to require N95 air filtration masks to protect against the spread of Covid-19 at meatpacking plants, prisons and other risky workplaces.The letter sent...

South Carolina Senate Passes COVID Liability Protection Bill

Mar 1 2021 // A bill that would prevent lawsuits against businesses and other groups by people who contract COVID-19 as long as federal and state health guidelines were being followed passed the South Carolina Senate on Thursday.The...

House Votes to Extend Civil, Labor Rights to LGBTQ Americans; Fate in Senate Uncertain

Mar 1 2021 // The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle...

Bill to Limit COVID-19 Lawsuits Approved in Missouri Senate

Feb 24 2021 // Missouri senators have passed a bill to shield hospitals, manufacturers and other businesses from lawsuits over alleged wrongdoing during the pandemic.The GOP-led Senate voted 20-13 in favor of the bill, which now goes to...

Louisiana’s Democratic Governor Balks at Biden’s Oil, Gas Policy

Feb 12 2021 // Gov. John Bel Edwards disagrees with President Joe Biden’s targeting of fossil fuel industries and wants the White House to reconsider its decision to pause new oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico, the...

Biden Reverses Trump Stand at Supreme Court in Republican Bid to End Obamacare

Feb 11 2021 // President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday told the U.S. Supreme Court that the Obamacare healthcare law should be upheld, reversing the position taken by the government under his Republican predecessor Donald...

Bill to Stem Virus-Related Lawsuits Advances in Missouri Senate

Feb 4 2021 // Missouri senators on Feb. 3 advanced a bill that would shield hospitals, manufacturers and other businesses from lawsuits over alleged wrongdoing during the coronavirus pandemic.Senators gave the measure initial approval...

North Dakota Senate Won’t Hold Oil Execs Liable for Environmental Damage

Jan 22 2021 // The North Dakota Senate has rejected a bill that would have allowed the state to hold liable any corporate officer responsible for oil- and gas-related violations.The North Dakota Petroleum Council and the Greater North...

Washington Bill to Ban Insurers from Using Credit Scores Heads to Senate

Jan 12 2021 // Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove life insurance from the list of lines of insurance that the bill covered. That language was removed from earlier versions of the bill, and no longer...

Minnesota Senate Passes $216M Virus Aid Package for Businesses, Workers

Dec 15 2020 // The Minnesota Senate has voted on Dec. 14 to pass a $216 million relief package aimed at businesses and workers who took the biggest hit from a four-week “pause” ordered by Gov. Tim Walz as increasing...

Trump Administration Seeks Medical Privacy Changes

Dec 14 2020 // Urged on by hospitals, doctors and patients, U.S. health officials are proposing changes to medical privacy rules that could ease information sharing in crisis situations.Trump administration officials at the Department of...