Government

An effort by Governor Steve Beshear to expand preschool services in the commonwealth did not make it into the final state budget.

Beshear put a $15 million appropriation for preschool in his budget proposal. The House cut that figure in half and funded other education programs with what was left. The Senate struck all the money, saying it wouldn't be right to expand some programs while slashing others. And after days of budget talks, the Senate won the argument.

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.