A plan that could make it easier to open a business in Illinois is moving through the state Senate. The legislation would require the state to put all permit and license applications online on one centralized website.

“If you want to open a business in Illinois, we should be making it easier for you. Instead we make you jump through hoops,” said Senator Julie Morrison, the measure’s sponsor. “In the 21^st century, entrepreneurs should be able to find every state form they need online, in one place.”

Right now, if business owners need more than one license or permit, they may have to visit several different state and local government websites and fill out forms both on paper and online. To see if they qualify for any economic development programs, they have to contact even more state agencies. Many other states do better, putting all of these forms and all of this information in one place.

Teen e-cigarette users are facing some bad news: A proposed law could soon close the loophole that allows them to legally vape.

“Two years ago we made it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18,” said State Senator Julie Morrison, the measure’s sponsor. “It’s common sense that if it’s illegal to sell these products to kids, it should be illegal for kids to have them.”

Though current law bans smoking for everyone under 18, it is silent on e-cigarettes.

Cracks down on treatment center employees who allow child abuse

Under a recently proposed law, employees of child care facilities that endanger kids or fail to report abuse would face immediate discipline. The measure, introduced by state Senator Julie Morrison, cleared the Illinois Senate’s Human Services Committee on Tuesday.

“The state is responsible for the kids in the care of DCFS. When they are beaten, raped, allowed to run away or allowed to prostitute themselves in a facility with a state contract, we’ve failed them,” Morrison said. “Any employees of a child care organization who are not keeping these abused and neglected children safe should be disciplined – up to and including losing their jobs.”

A measure to ban using drones for hunting cleared the Senate Agriculture committee this morning, paving the way for a vote in the full Senate.

The proposal’s sponsor, state Senator Julie Morrison, argues that drones can give hunters an unfair advantage.

“A lot of the hunters I’ve talked to see using drones as cheating. They want to keep the hunt challenging,” the Deerfield Democrat said. “Other groups, like the Humane Society, believe the animals deserve a chance to escape that drones would eliminate.”

While small animals that fear birds of prey run when they see unmanned aerial vehicles, big game animals like deer are unfazed by the small aircraft, making them easy pickings for high-tech hunters.