What's interesting about the law is that is was the result of lobbying by the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers to increase the number of potential blood donors by allowing people to donate blood within a year of getting tattoos or piercings. The blood will still undergo rigorous testing, but abolishing the current year-long wait will no longer discourage the tattooed and pierced from donating -- and, overall, no longer make people feel like social pariahs.
Nice. I've been annoyed by the 12 month waiting period between getting a new tattoo and giving blood pretty much since I got my first tattoo. I have a semi-rare blood type and actually like to give blood. However, I also plan to continue getting tattoos (probably at least annually) for the near term.
I'm glad to see some lawmakers initiating a change. Hopefully Illinois will start a trend.