A bill that "sharpens the teeth" of late legislation to protect nursing hearth residents from ex-cons is headed for Gov Blagojevich's desk after unanimously passing the state Senate upon Monday.

The propos law analyzes many of the sticking points that surfaced after last year's passage of the Vulnerable Adults Protection Act. It calls for nursing firesides to pay for criminal background checks forward all adult residents. The state Health Department would analyze the be deriveds and tell each facility what, if any, safeguards ne to be present in place to protect other residents.

The bill also requires registered sex transgressors to be segregated in their hold bedrooms.

If signed into law, the measures would make Illinois a leader in protecting vulnerable nursing domestic circle residents from ex-cons living alongside them, said Cara Smith, policy director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who helped draft the legislation.

"It's groundbreaking," Smith said. "We have 100000 or in like manner residents of long-term care facilities in Illinois who have, as a follow of this bill, unprecedented protections. It's a great day for these nursing family circle residents."

SEX culprits LIVING AMONG SENIORS

A Chicago Sun-Times investigation last year showed that 100 registered sex delinquents and 61 parolees convicted of non-sex crimes were living in Illinois nursing hearths Residents and sometimes the abodes themselves had no idea these former criminals -- not to mention other ex-con no longer in succession parole or on the sex-offender registry -- were living in their midst.

"This whole proces of culprits in nursing homes happened in a less degree than the radar until now," Smith said. "This bill creates a proces in such a manner we don't have to seize in after harm has been done and assess a fine. We can cover on the front end."

Last year's Vulnerable Adults Protection Act sparked disagreement throughout the details, especially regarding for what reason the criminal background checks should be done.

This secondary round of legislation "sharpens the teeth" of that act, Smith said. It intervals out that all current residents would memorize State Police criminal background checks within 60 days of the bill becoming law. Nursing domiciles would have to request these checks within 24 hours of of recent origin residents being admitted.

If the background check turn rounds up a "qualifying conviction," the state Health Department would have couple weeks to look into the details of that crime, consider the person's health and figure not at home whether precautions need to be lay in place.

Pat Comstock of the Illinois Health Care Association, a trade cluster whose members include nursing dwellings said "the intent behind the bill is important" unless the background checks should be done from state agencies.

A Blagojevich spokeswoman said the governor supports the intent of the bill on the other hand wouldn't say whether he will sign it into law.

lrackl@suntimes.com

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