February 23, 2006

BY TRACY SWARTZ Sun-Times Springfield Bureau

SPRINGFIELD--Legislation designed to make cyberdating safer won approval Wednesday from the Illinois House.

The House also passed a measure that would double the amount of parental supervision required for teens to get their driver's license. Legislation that would mandate HIV testing for almost every newborn in Illinois also garnered final House approval.

Under the online dating bill, networking sites with Illinois members would have to initiate background checks to identify convicted felons and sex offenders or tell their users they don't conduct checks.

Services that run checks would have to disclose on their site any members that have a felony or sex offense conviction.

"I think sometimes there's a false sense of security [in online dating]," said state Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion), who sponsored the bill. "We make an important statement here in protecting our citizens."

Bradley's plan, which passed 74-36, met opposition from House members who said it's not the state's job to govern national dating sites.

"This is overregulation," said state Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville).

Six other states have proposed similar legislation. In December 2005, about 24 million people participated in services with online personals, according to the Safer Online Dating Alliance.

'Going to save lives'

Meanwhile, a Chicago lawmaker's plan that would require teens to spend 50 hours behind the wheel with their parents before getting a driver's license received no legislative opposition in the House.

The legislation would double the required amount of parental supervision from 25 to 50 hours, including 10 hours of night driving.

"I think it's a bill that's going to save lives," said state Rep. John D'Amico (D-Chicago), who proposed the measure after two teenagers died in a December crash in his district.

The House also unanimously approved a plan that would expand a program that tests newborns for HIV.

The bill would require all Illinois hospitals to test newborns for HIV if the mother's HIV status is unknown. The mother would be able to refuse the test only for religious reasons. Current law allows mothers to refuse the test for any reason.

A 2005 study by the state Department of Public Health found more than 20 percent of new mothers refused to have their newborns tested.

"This is about saving babies' lives," said bill sponsor Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago). "Why should babies have to die because of a mistake or a virus their parents have?"

The bills now go to the Senate.

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