A measure to seal the criminal records of people convicted of some less-serious felonies such as drug possession and prostitution has been approved in the state Senate and is awaiting action in the House.

Advocates say ex-offenders need the records sealed to potential employers because without it people can't get jobs and become productive members of society.

Some lawmakers still have some questions, though. They include whether multiple felony convictions or just one can be sealed and whether schools, day-care centers and other places that do background checks on employees would be notified of criminal convictions in these cases.

The bill is SB3007. On the web: www.legis.state.il.us