SPRINGFIELD – Illinois residents’ genetic testing results will now be protected under a new state law passed by State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

“As technology advances, we have to update our laws to reflect ways it can be improperly used, and the personal data of private citizens is being used inappropriately every day,” Crowe said. “Keeping genetic information confidential is crucial to protecting a person’s right to privacy.”

The legislation prohibits companies that provide direct-to-consumer commercial genetic testing, such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe, from sharing any test results with health or life insurance companies without the consumer’s consent.

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 sought out testing of personal genetic data.

House Bill 2189 is effective Jan. 1, 2020.