Tagged: Bills

Illinois state lawmakers are trying to make it safer for people to use online dating sites.  Legislation aiming to do that passed the House last week.  It would require Internet dating services operating in the state to post disclaimers saying whether they conduct background checks on their members.  The measure is sponsored by Democratic state Representative Michelle Mussman.  She says she wants to help Internet users "become more savvy" and protect themselves from online predators.  Opponents say the bill overreaches.

A measure that would prohibit Tennessee students from dressing indecently in school is scheduled to be heard on the floor of the House and Senate this evening.  The bill seeks to prohibit students from exposing "underwear or body parts in an indecent manner that disrupts the learning environment."  A stricter version of the proposal failed to pass the Legislature three years ago.

The Senate is expected Friday to consider a measure to attempt to fight human trafficking in the state.  The bill sponsored by Democratic Representative Sannie Overly of Paris passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday evening with changes recommended by public defenders.  It would make it a crime to patronize a minor victim of human trafficking, strengthen current laws to help prosecutors get convictions in human trafficking cases, create a special state police unit on human trafficking by training existing officers and establish a victims' trust fund.  Penalties under the bill coul

Virtually all parts of state government would be forced to cut spending under a budget outline approved by the Illinois House.  The measure requires cutting Medicaid by $2.7 billion, or about 14 percent. Spending on services from schools to prisons would fall by about $900 million.  The House approved it 91-16 yesterday. Now it goes to the state Senate.  The measure calls for paying about $1.3 billion in overdue bills, or about 16 percent of the backlog.  It also increases the state's annual contribution to government retirement systems.  Democratic Rep.

A proposal for a Kentucky statewide smoking ban has cleared its first hurdle. The House Health and Welfare committee passed the bill today.

The bill was expected to pass easily, but a few Republicans did vote against the measure because of concern for individual property rights.

Lexington doctor Sylvia Cerel-Suhl supports the ban. She says it's her right to go out in public and not be subjected to second-hand smoke.