SPRINGFIELD — — The Illinois Senate passed legislation Wednesday requiring online dating sites to say whether they perform criminal background checks on prospective members.

"They're doing business in Illinois. They should protect Illinois consumers," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago.

The legislation, which passed 42-9, also would require dating services that say they conduct background checks to use government databases, including criminal court records and sex offender registries. In addition, the sites also would have to say whether they allow someone with a criminal record to sign up.


Furthermore, the legislation would require sites to post safety tips, including warnings that background checks aren't foolproof and suggestions to leave their addresses off the sites. Several companies already post this advice.

Sites that fail to follow the requirements or that lie about conducting background checks could face fines of up to $50,000 per violation.

Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, voted against the bill, saying it stretches the government's influence too far.

"We're trying to legislate getting in people's dating patterns and their relationships and whether they use online dating and making sure that they're safe," he said. "We're not the mom and dad here in the legislature."

A former federal prosecutor, Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, also opposed the measure, questioning whether the bill adequately addressed how to track companies outside of Illinois and enforce penalties.

The legislation now moves to the House, where a similar bill has won committee approval.

In other action, the Senate sent to the House bills to:

•Give employers tax breaks for hiring unemployed military veterans who have served since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

•Require public schools to have annual inspections of driver's education cars that are at least 5 years old or have at least 75,000 miles.

SPRINGFIELD — Prosecutors would be able to charge family members who help fugitives flee from justice under legislation the Illinois Senate passed overwhelmingly Wednesday.

Inspired by the findings of the Tribune series "Fugitives From Justice," the bill is aimed at closing a loophole in state law that gives family members a pass if they help fugitives flee. Illinois is one of only 14 states that exempts close relatives from prosecution if they help fugitives elude the law.

The bill would apply only to relatives at least 18 years old and intentionally working to prevent a fugitive's arrest or help him in fleeing the jurisdiction of the offense. The Senate sent the bill to the House on a 52-0 vote.

Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, said he sponsored the legislation in response to news stories that illustrated how the loophole in the criminal justice system has allowed fugitives to skip the country after committing serious felonies.

For example, the paper detailed the case of Muaz Haffar, whose father bought a plane ticket so Haffar could flee to Syria after a 2005 charge that he killed student Tombol Malik, 23, according to law enforcement sources. Dr. Nabil Haffar, Haffar's father, has denied buying the plane ticket. Records and interviews show authorities believe Muaz Haffar is still at large in Syria.

In November, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Illinois to pass the state legislation. He has also proposed changes to federal measures to help capture the growing numbers of criminal suspects who flee the United States after being charged with violent felonies.

SPRINGFIELD — Prosecutors would be able to charge family members who help fugitives flee from justice under legislation the Illinois Senate passed overwhelmingly Wednesday.

Inspired by the findings of the Tribune series "Fugitives From Justice," the bill is aimed at closing a loophole in state law that gives family members a pass if they help fugitives flee. Illinois is one of only 14 states that exempts close relatives from prosecution if they help fugitives elude the law.

The bill would apply only to relatives at least 18 years old and intentionally working to prevent a fugitive's arrest or help him in fleeing the jurisdiction of the offense. The Senate sent the bill to the House on a 52-0 vote.

Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, said he sponsored the legislation in response to news stories that illustrated how the loophole in the criminal justice system has allowed fugitives to skip the country after committing serious felonies.

For example, the paper detailed the case of Muaz Haffar, whose father bought a plane ticket so Haffar could flee to Syria after a 2005 charge that he killed student Tombol Malik, 23, according to law enforcement sources. Dr. Nabil Haffar, Haffar's father, has denied buying the plane ticket. Records and interviews show authorities believe Muaz Haffar is still at large in Syria.

In November, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Illinois to pass the state legislation. He has also proposed changes to federal measures to help capture the growing numbers of criminal suspects who flee the United States after being charged with violent felonies.

By Alissa Groeninger and Ray Long

The Illinois House today approved a bill to abolish the oft-abused legislative scholarship program, a day after a Democratic state senator caught up in a scholarship scandal lost a primary race in Chicago.

It’s not the first time the House has voted to eliminate a program where some lawmakers have given scholarships to children of political cronies, friends and campaign contributors. But the Illinois Senate repeatedly has saved the century-old legislative perk, and the ultimate fate of the latest House bill is uncertain once again this spring.


Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, would rather reform the program than eliminate it, a top aide said Wednesday.

What gives this new effort an added political dimension is a confluence of events that have put the scholarships under greater scrutiny, including a federal subpoena last year seeking program records.

Authorities issued the subpoena following a Tribune report that showed former state Rep. Bob Molaro, D-Chicago, awarded scholarships worth $94,000 to four children of a longtime political supporter.

The most recent development came Tuesday when Democratic Sen. Annazette Collins, a scholarship defender, lost her primary election.

Secretary of State Jesse White accused Collins of flouting the law that requires members of the House and Senate to give the scholarships to citizens within the their legislative districts.

White then played a major role in defeating Collins when he threw the support of his West Side political organization behind the winner, Patricia Van Pelt Watkins.

On Wednesday, the House passed the scholarship abolishment bill 79-25, with two voting present, over emphatic protests by opponents.

Rep. Monique Davis, D-Chicago, contended the scholarships give relief to “working, everyday Americans and those who live in Illinois and who pay taxes, who don’t get big fat contracts from the state of Illinois.”

“If you have three kids in college and the state of Illinois can give one of them a scholarship, let's do it,” Davis said.

But sponsoring Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, said legislative scholarships are costly to universities because they are tuition waivers for students and universities aren’t reimbursed for the $13.5 million annual tab.

Lawmakers can give two four-year scholarships each year to students going to state universities. Sometimes the lawmakers break down the awards to include more people, such as by giving out eight one-year scholarships.

“It's been so often abused that the entire General Assembly is held in disregard because of a few rotten apples in this body,” said Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland. “Well, one way to solve that issue of image is to get rid of the opportunity for corruption, the opportunity for abuse.”


The Tribune found last year the number of lawmakers deciding to drop out of the program had increased dramatically.

Since then, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno’s entire 24-member Republican caucus has ended participation in the program.

Radogno signed on as a co-sponsor of the newly approved House bill in hopes, a spokeswoman said, of helping push the measure through the Senate.

The Senate sponsor is Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, who has seen prior attempts to pass scholarship bans blocked in committee. But he said he hopes to overcome that hurdle this spring.

Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said the Senate president wants a thorough review of all university waivers, restrictions and requirements rather than focusing only on legislative scholarships.

In other action, a bill that would've narrowed the state's controversial eavesdropping law fell 15 votes short of passage.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, would have allowed citizens to record audio of police officers in public places.

It is currently legal to videotape police, but capturing audio can net a 15-year prison term. A Cook County judge has ruled the law is unconstitutional.

SPRINGFIELD — — Drivers in Illinois would have to use a hands-free device when talking on a cellphone under legislation the House passed Thursday, but the bill may be in for a bumpy ride.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where a key lawmaker on transportation issues questioned whether the proposal should move forward.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. John D'Amico, D-Chicago, is similar to the city of Chicago's years-old ban on drivers using phones without an earpiece. If approved, drivers could still use Bluetooth, speaker phones or built-in systems.

One big, contentious difference is that violating the city ban results in a routine ticket. The state proposal would count the offense as a moving violation, the same as a driver caught speeding. A driver loses his license if convicted of three moving violations within a 12-month period.

Republican Rep. Jim Durkin, a former prosecutor from Western Springs, argued the legislation would turn "people who use cellphones into criminals" once a license is suspended for three violations.

"If you're driving on a suspended license, it's a class A misdemeanor," Durkin said. "You are handcuffed, you are processed, you get a mug shot, you get a criminal ID number."

Rep. Rich Morthland complained that the bill is far less needed in rural areas, saying, "Out where I live, you can drive miles without encountering another automobile on the road.

"To rush into this is going to be another blight against Illinois as a 'nanny state' that is trying to over-regulate the lives of its citizens," said Morthland, R-Cordova.

D'Amico defended the penalties, saying the legislation needed "teeth."

"If we want to get serious about trying to stop distracted driving and save lives on the roadway, there needs to be a severe penalty involved," D'Amico said. "You're taking everybody else's life in your own hands because you want to talk on your hand-held cellphone."

Following the vigorous debate, the House voted to pass the bill 62-53, only two votes above the minimum needed.

Senate passage is not assured, however. Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, suggested it might be time to slow down.

"Moving to ban cellphones statewide is a move in the right direction, but there are more pressing issues facing downstate legislators today, like closures of prisons, mental health centers and keeping people employed," said Sandoval, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. "Therefore, the climate probably is not ripe at this time."

Sandoval suggested the federal government should call on the automobile industry to come up with a "standard that would avoid having every state" roll out its own version of a cellphone ban.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, is a longtime traffic safety advocate who will view the bill through that lens, said Rikeesha Phelon, Cullerton's spokeswoman. Cullerton supports the concept of the D'Amico legislation but wants to examine the fine print before determining whether he will support the bill, she said.

The issue of banning drivers from using hand-held cellphones gained traction when federal transportation officials recently supported the idea.

In other action, the Senate again voted to cut lawmakers' pay by taking unpaid days off. The measure now goes to the House.

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House on Wednesday resoundingly defeated a measure that would have required police officers to report more details about cases when they use stun guns.

The vote took place as more than 1,000 gun rights activists marched on the Capitol to push for legislation to allow Illinois residents to carry concealed weapons and to protest Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal to register handguns.

State Rep. Monique Davis, D-Chicago, pleaded with colleagues to approve the broader reporting of stun gun use by law enforcement throughout Illinois, but opponents argued the measure would overburden local police.

The bill was shot down handily 76-41. The defeat occurred the same day the Lake County coroner determined a stun gun shock was partially responsible for a 45-year-old man's November death following a conflict with North Chicago police.

Davis said the bill was needed following Tribune disclosures of drastically expanded use of the weapons.

In Chicago alone, police logged 853 uses of stun guns in 2011 — a fivefold increase over 2008, according to figures compiled by the city's Independent Police Review Authority.

Davis wanted reports to say whether the stun gun was used on people who were armed, intoxicated or aggressive. She also wanted to know the race of people who had been shocked with a stun gun.

Outside the chambers, gun enthusiasts rallied in front of the Statehouse statute of Abraham Lincoln and called for the House to pass a concealed carry bill that a committee approved this week.

"We will be victorious," bellowed Rep. John Bradley, a Marion Democrat, who ignited robust cheers.

HARRISBURG, Ill. — — Using a chain saw to cut through trees that had landed on top of houses in his hometown, Jonathan Wright looked at the wreckage wrought by this week's tornado, and saw only people willing to help.

A band of storms early Friday stopped volunteers and residents from cleaning up for a few hours, and a noontime tornado warning siren sent many, fearful of another hit, huddled into homes and businesses. But by the afternoon the sun was shining, and residents began talking about what comes next.

HARRISBURG, Ill. — — Danny Lampley was taking care of paperwork at Harrisburg Medical Center in the pre-dawn hours when he heard a call over the intercom saying a tornado was coming. It was set to strike in about 15 minutes.

Lampley, vice president of administrative services at the hospital, raced out of his office to find nurses already moving some of the facility's 42 patients. Those who could get out of bed and into chairs were moved into the hallways. Others had their beds pushed either into the halls or as far from windows as possible.

Soon the hospital staff heard the sirens blaring in town. They didn't panic but continued preparing for the worst.

"Drills are not like the real thing," Lampley said, "but we played the game that was dealt to us by the weather."

As the storm roared into town, Lampley was helping a nurse hold open a door so she could push a patient in a chair through. A gust of wind hit and in an instant blew the nurse and patient back 20 feet, Lampley said.

The door he was holding slammed him against the wall and he watched as the ceiling tiles began moving like waves.

"I thought the building was gone," Lampley said. "Whenever I think about it now, it's almost like everything is in slow motion. Never have I experienced that type of a force."

The storm tore down walls and blew out windows in the hospital. Lampley quickly checked the damage and found only one patient had remained in a room that was damaged. He said he found that patient holding a ceiling tile that had fallen on his bed.

"It was a devastating experience to go through, but for no one in this facility to be injured at all was amazing," Lampley said. "God was good to us." However, a nurse on staff, Jaylynn Ferrell , 22, was killed when the tornado hit her home.

After the storm stopped, the staff — many wearing masks to fight the dusty air — started cleaning rooms and preparing for what they imagined would be a rush of injuries from the community.

Residents arrived with broken bones, head injuries, cuts and puncture wounds — and with them came other community members offering to help any way they could.

Although 43 people signed in to the hospital after the storm, Lampley said he believes 60 to 65 actually received care.

When hospital CEO Vince Ashley made it to Harrisburg Medical Center Wednesday morning, he saw a surgery wing in disarray, ceilings hanging, water damage. But the part of the hospital still intact was bustling.

"It's just depressing (in the dark wing), and then you walk to the other end of the building and it's hot. It's moving and it's bright and it's active," Ashley said. "I mean it couldn't be more different than night and day."

The patients housed in the hospital before the tornado struck were either moved to other facilities or discharged and sent home, Ashley said.

He expects some parts of the hospital to reopen Monday or Tuesday, though the most heavily damaged area could take a year to be rebuilt.

Tribune reporter Rex W. Huppke contributed from Chicago.

HARRISBURG, Ill. — — Dena McDonald stood amid the ruins on Brady Street on Thursday, mourning her mother and watching her husband scratch through debris for mementos of the family's life.

Every few minutes, McDonald's husband would bend over and snatch something from the ground, bringing over to her a recovered family photo or photo slide.