IL HR0453

House of Representatives expresses support for the Family Roots Genealogy Pilot Program to help African American descendants of enslaved individuals trace their ancestral roots back to Africa through genetic testing.

Program will collect saliva samples processed at the Illinois Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with samples securely destroyed after processing and data stored in HIPAA-compliant secure environments.

DNA samples cannot be subpoenaed or accessed for any purposes other than the genealogy program, and researchers cannot release identifying information without participant consent across federal, state, local, civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings.

Approximately 71% of African American research participants have detectable DNA segments matching current African ethnic groups from four main Atlantic African regions: Nigeria, Senegambia, Coastal West Africa, and the Congo region.

Resolution recognizes Illinois's historical role in slavery through the Illinois Salines salt springs (which provided up to one-third of state revenue until 1870) and calls for the university to advance reparative and decolonizing efforts aligned with its land-grant mission.