Villa Park lawmaker says she's received threats because of health data bill

State Rep. Deb Conroy, a Villa Park Democrat, says she has received dozens of death threats because of her bill to make health data from state agencies available to local health departments.

Conroy said the information would be released "for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability," but some conservatives have criticized the measure as a breach of privacy.

Capitol Fax, a blog by political analyst Rich Miller's, published some of the four-letter-word-laced attacks against Conroy, including one that said, "You come after my family there's one thing you better bring and that's a lot of body bags."

Illinois Review, a conservative blog, wrote Monday that the Access to Public Health Data Act would "set up a state network data collection system" for residents' medical information and allow people exposed to disease to be "placed under Public Health Department observation, only possible in a contained atmosphere with Department watch guards, some suggest such as a concentration camp."

Conroy, who is running for DuPage County Board chair, blamed the "flagrantly false post" for death threats toward her and her staff, writing that the House Bill 4640 "does none of the things you claim. It allows local health departments the ability to employ local health solutions to share data. It does not give any local body the authority to violate someone's privacy rights and certainly does not allow anyone to be detained."

Conroy was not immediately available for comment Friday night.

She has found a defender among one of the bill's opponents, Republican state Rep. Seth Lewis of Bartlett.

In a statement issued Friday, Lewis wrote: "Stop! The threats, abusive language, and derogatory comments directed to Representative Deb Conroy are unacceptable! I disagree with my colleague's bill, but I have no problem stepping up to defend her and her staff against threatening abuse. It is not right! Abuse and bullying behavior towards anyone is NEVER acceptable!"