Move over Jessica, Megan and Laci. Here comes Chelsea. A bill has been introduced in California mandating life in prison for some first time sex offenders.

On Monday in Sacramento, Kelly and Brent King announced a bill called Chelsea’s Law, named after their daughter. The bill notably includes a “one strike” provision that would allow prosecutors to pursue a life sentence without parole for forcible sex crimes against a minor when there are aggravating circumstances like torture and kidnapping.

Legislation should never be passed out of grief and passion or in response to a singular event, no matter how horrific. Cooler heads are needed when our fundamental liberties are at stake. One size justice is no justice at all.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman will sign a bill into law today that bans abortions if the woman is 20 weeks pregnant. The reasoning: the fetus might feel pain. The text of the bill, LB1103, is here. Some snippets:

(4) There is substantial evidence that abortion methods used at and after twenty weeks would cause substantial pain to an unborn child;

(5) Expert testimony confirms that an unborn child is capable of experiencing substantial pain even if the pregnant woman herself has received local analgesic or general anesthesia; and

(6) There is a valid state interest in reducing or preventing events in which pain is inflicted on sentient and nonsentient creatures. Examples of laws that serve this interest are laws governing the use of laboratory animals, laws requiring pain-free methods of slaughtering livestock, and laws regarding hunting methods on federal lands.

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Don't legislators have anything better to do? In Louisiana, a House Committee has approved a bill to have drug offenders issued special drivers' licenses that say, in big orange letters at the bottom, "Drug Offender."

The House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee unanimously approved House Bill 139 by Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, after increasing the fee assessed on offenders from $10 to $25 to cover the cost of issuing a special license with "DRUG OFFENDER" in bright orange on the bottom. Similar licenses with "SEX OFFENDER" already are issued to people convicted of certain sex crimes.

Hardy said the main goal of his legislation is to "give the officer who would stop that person a heads-up who he's dealing with, to let him know that person has been involved in criminal activity and might be armed."

People are required to show drivers' licenses for everything from writing a check to getting on a plane to entering a federal courthouse. This is nothing but a shaming punishment. It's bad policy and offensive.

If it's really just for police, why not merely require drug offenders to keep a copy of their conviction paper in their glovebox, like they do their vehicle registration and proof of insurance, to hand over with their license during a traffic stop?

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland yesterday signed into law a DNA bill to protect the innocent. It is viewed as one of the most progressive in the nation.

Senate Bill 77... sets statewide standards for retaining biological evidence, requires the taking of DNA from anyone arrested on a felony charge and requires new procedures for suspect lineups.

The Ohio Innocence Project is impressed:

Leaders of the Ohio Innocence Project, based at the University of Cincinnati, said that in terms of impact, the bill is the most significant accomplishment in the organization's seven years of existence.

"Ohio is truly the national leader on innocence reforms and will be the role model other states look to as they contemplate similar measures in the coming years," said Mark Godsey, director of the Innocence Project.

Among the law's provisions: [More...]

Update: The House passed the bill with a 220-207 vote.

Here's the vote tally for the Senate passage today of the health care reconciliation bill. The vote was 56 to 43. Three Dems voted no, the two senators from Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

The Dems defeated more than 40 Republican amendments. It now goes back to the House for a vote on some procedural matters related to student loans, and could be passed by the House tonight:

The bill now heads to the House, where the Rules Committee could begin action within hours. Democratic aides said a final vote on the package could come in early evening, although if Republicans throw up procedural barriers, the vote could be delayed until later Thursday night.

It's 1:00 a.m., do you know where your Senator is? Voting in the Senate to table the GOP amendments to the Reconciliation health care bill.

Watching on C-Span, it seems like they are all there. The latest defeat: The Bunning amendment, which would have allowed seniors to opt-out of Medicare Part A. 97 voted, it was killed 61 to 36.

If you have insomnia tonight, you can follow along on C-Span, they could be going all night. An "aye" vote is to kill (table) the Amendment.

On to the next one. Chuck Grassley. It wants to delay some provision by 30 days. Republicans are so silly. Max Baucus says it's designed to send the whole bill back to the House. Here comes the vote, all 100 names will be read out loud again.

The New York Times has a late report here.

President Obama after the House passed the health care reform bill:

This is not radical reform, but it is major reform. … This is what change looks like

Full transcript of remarks below: [More...]

Update: The bill passed 219 to 212. Here's the roll call vote. Reconciliation bill vote next.

The health care vote should begin in about 15 minutes. Obama will address the nation afterwards.

Here's a thread for the vote and the speech, and whatever else you still have to say about health care.

CBS has a wrap-up of what's in the Health Care Bill and when the various provisions take effect. The Daily Beast has a good recap of both what's in it and what's not in it.

Here's the House Summary of the reconciliation bill. Here's a summary of the Manager's Amendment. And here's a summary of the actual bill. [More...]

Here's the text of the Executive Order on abortion funding that Rep. Stupak finds acceptable enough to change his health care vote. Key points:

The Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly-created health insurance exchanges.

The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014.

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The Democrats say they have the 216 votes needed to pass health care. They are already pounding their chests. Here's House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson on ABC's "This Week":

"President Roosevelt passed Social Security. Lyndon Johnson passed Medicare. Today, Barack Obama will pass health-care reform.”

The vote will take place between 6 p.m. and midnight.

The health care vote may not be until tomorrow, but the accolades for President Obama, who says health care will be his legacy, Nancy Pelosi and even Harry Reid are already beginning. From The New York Times:

That Mr. Obama has come this far — within a whisper of passing historic social legislation — is remarkable in itself. But the story of how he did it is not his alone. It is the story of how a struggling president partnered with a pair of experienced legislators — Ms. Pelosi and, to a lesser extent, Mr. Reid — to reach for a goal that Mr. Obama has often said had eluded his predecessors going back to Theodore Roosevelt.

Their journey over the last two months, interviews with White House aides, lawmakers, outside advisers, lobbyists and political strategists show, involved tensions, resolve, political spadework — and a little bit of luck.

The accolades are less for the content of the bill and more for the arduous task of herding the cats. (I wonder if that's how the phrase "Congress critters" came about.)Do most Americans even know what's in the bill? [More...]