Government

A proposal that would prohibit Tennessee students from dressing indecently in school is headed for floor votes in both chambers of the Legislature.  The measure unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee Wednesday and is now scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor. A full vote in the House is scheduled for Monday.  The bill would 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.

A measure that would require "family life education" curricula taught in Tennessee schools to be abstinence-centered is advancing in the Senate.  The measure sponsored by Republican Senator Jack Johnson unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee 9-0 Wednesday.

State lawmakers have approved two major pieces of legislation dealing with drug abuse in Kentucky.

House Bill 4 tightens regulations on prescription pills. It passed the full Senate Wednesday afternoon. Around the same time, the House passed Senate Bill 3, which caps the amount of pseudoephedrine Kentuckians can buy every month without a prescription. Since both bills were amended, they will now return to their original chambers, where lawmakers must decide whether to agree with the changes or send them to conference committees for compromises.

Tennessee's state budget could cut all funding to The Paris Special School District Family Enrichment Center. Director Donna Vaughn says half of its funding comes from the state and if the budget passes, the center would likely have to close this summer.

“We do not have the excess funds in our budget to absorb it at this time. So we really don’t want to look down that road, but it doesn’t look good for us if that happens.”