From NPR: In the Sistine Chapel, cardinals will begin voting. It takes the votes of two-thirds (77 cardinals) to become pope. If no one gets that many on the first ballot, the cardinals will be "busy murmuring in each others' ears over coffee and pasta" as they form alliances, NPR's Sylvia Poggioli says.
Kentucky: Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the state's industrial hemp bill is dead, although the measure’s proponents insist it's not too late to revive it in the waning days of the General Assembly session. The Kentucky GOP executive committee has passed a resolution applauding U.S. Senator Rand Paul as a "shining example of Republican leadership" for last week's nearly 13-hour filibuster. McCracken County’s Maxon Precinct will have a wet/dry vote this spring. A bill allowing Kentuckians in the military deployed overseas to vote electronically has cleared the House.
Tennesee: A proposal to eliminate hotel allowances for some Tennessee lawmakers passed the House today despite concerns that it might hurt those who use the excess to defray other unreimbursed expenses.