Attempt to repeal HIV-reporting law fails in House
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">The Illinois House Tuesday rejected legislation that would repeal the state's Communicable Disease Prevention Act, which requires students to report their HIV status to principals.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">The legislation attracted 43 "yes" votes and 62 "no" votes.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">House Bill 4314 was an attempt to repeal the existing law that permits a school principal to disclose the identity of an HIV-infected child to the school nurse and the student's teachers. A principal also can disclose the student's identity to those persons who, under federal or state law, are required to decide the placement or educational program of the child.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">"As a parent, I want the school officials to have every bit of information that they can have in order to ensure public safety for all the kids," said Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill, who voted against the legislation.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">"If we want to do some bills to help to promote HIV testing, then let's do that," he added. "If my son is playing on the basketball court with another boy (who is HIV positive) who has a bloody nose, we want to be able to in a polite way make sure the other kids don't get infected with HIV. We're talking about a lifelong virus that could be preventable if that principal knew that the child was HIV positive."
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">Ann Hilton Fisher, executive director of the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, said lawmakers should become better educated on the issue.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">"HIV is not spread through playground accidents or bloody noses," Fisher said. "It just does not happen that way. Other diseases like hepatitis can be spread that way. Schools have been required since 1995 to use universal precautions in all such accidents."
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, another "no" voter, said it's important that principals are aware of students who have communicable diseases in order to treat them appropriately.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">"You have someone that has a real bad cut, you don't know if there's HIV infection there. It becomes an issue with the emergency people," he said.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago and sponsor of the legislation, said after Tuesday's vote that she is going to try to revive the bill and educate legislators on the importance of repealing the act.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">"I don't think people have a full understanding of what youth is faced with and the stigma that still remains around HIV and the need to protect people's privacy around health issues," Feigenholtz said.
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="BODY">Meagan Sexton can be reached at (217) 782-6882.