Tagged: illinois

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.

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.

NPR reports the Supreme Court  begins the first of three days of oral arguments on President Obama's health care law today. The court has boiled the arguments down to four key questions. First up: Does the court even have to hear this case right now?

Illinois lawmakers looking for ways to cut expenses in the state’s Medicaid program may consider the big-ticket cost of prescription drugs as a tempting target. Prescriptions cost the Illinois Medicaid program more than $1 billion a year. Medicaid covers drugs for a wide variety of illnesses, from asthma to schizophrenia, for the poor and disabled. Legislators are looking at other states for ideas. Tennessee, for example, limits adults to five prescriptions each month.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied the state's appeal for assistance after a deadly late February tornado and severe storms in southern Illinois.  Quinn says he is disappointed with the decision and doesn't believe "it reflects the reality and devastation on the ground." Hundreds of homes in five southern Illinois counties were damaged or destroyed by storms that killed seven people in Harrisburg.  Quinn says the state is submitting a request to the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest loans.