Stadelman bill protects DNA test results

Illinois residents’ genetic testing results will be protected thanks to legislation co-sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, companies that provide direct-to-consumer commercial genetic testing such as ancestry.com and 23andMe no long can share test results with health or life insurance companies without the consumer’s consent.

"It is important for our laws to keep up with advances in technology," Stadelman said. "Genetic testing has become more affordable in recent years, and people deserve to have their privacy protected."

The number of people who have had their DNA analyzed with direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy tests more than doubled during 2017 and exceeded 12 million in 2018. Last year, an estimated 1 in 25 American adults now have access to personal genetic data.

New law opens minority business access to state construction jobs

Minority owned business will be required to be included in statewide construction projects under legislation passed in the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this month.

The new law requires the Department of Management Services (CMS) to automatically certify companies as Business Enterprise Program companies if they are registered with the city of Chicago, Cook County or any other jurisdictions with equal or greater requirements for certification as having minority or female ownership. CMS also now must create a model disparity study to be used by units of local government to examine their total number of minority owned companies and find ways to increase those numbers.

Senate Bill 177 also makes changes to the Illinois Apprenticeship Initiative by requiring contractors to utilize apprentices from the Illinois Pre-Apprenticeship Program on public works capital projects. Under the measure, participants of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program would receive a stipend or compensation while in the program.

In case you missed me on Facebook ...

Congratulations to Peter and Heather Provenzano and everyone involved with development what's to be known as Hotel Kate in the former YWCA building on South Madison Street across from the Sports Factory.

The hotel's namesake is Rockford suffragist and Renaissance woman Kate O'Connor, who happens to have been the great-great aunt of former State Rep. John Hallock.