(Online Dating Industry Journal) On Wednesday the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill that will require online dating and networking sites with Illinois members to have to initiate background checks to identify convicted sex offenders and felons or otherwise tell their users they don't conduct such checks.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) and passed with a vote of 74-36. According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times, House opponents of the bill said it's not the state's job to govern national dating sites. From the article:
"'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."
The bill will now go to the Illinois Senate. The bill is HB5299, you can find it here.
Kim's Comments:
I am surprised that this bill received so many affirmative votes. This shows that there is a strong likelihood that this bill will pass in the Senate and become law. This background check push has sparked a bit of a controversy and debate about the true motives behind it, and this new bill, if passed by the Senate, will undoubtedly be challenged by the International Association of Dating Websites, but it is an uphill battle which is only getting steeper.
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