Associated Press

Attorney General Jack Conway has set July 12 as the date most new laws passed this year by the General Assembly will take effect. 

A proposal to drug test people as a condition for receiving welfare in Tennessee is advancing in the House. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Julia Hurly of Lenoir City was approved on a voice vote in the House Finance Committee Monday. The companion bill is awaiting a Senate floor vote.

General Motors  is announcing plans to open 600 new dealerships in China, despite a recent slowdown in sales growth.  The company is also planning to add assembly lines in that country.

The Associated Press is reporting that Kentucky lawmakers have passed a measure that's intended to curb prescription drug abuse in the state.  A compromise passed by the Senate and House would require all physicians in the state to use a prescription drug monitoring system so addicts seeking painkillers can be more easily identified.

The Kentucky Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee has approved a $4.5 billion transportation budget but not before inserting language that would restore nearly $50 million for road construction projects that had been vetoed by Gov. Steve Beshear.

The spending measure now advances to the Senate floor for a planned vote on Friday. It would provide funding to widen interstate highways, like I-65, expand airports and dredge river ports across the state.