Genetic Discrimination Bill Passes House — President to Sign
The U.S. House yesterday approved historic legislation that would prohibit genetic discrimination in the workplace.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) sailed through the House on a 414-1 vote and now moves on to the President, who is expected to sign the bill into law sometime in early May.
As reported previously here, GINA will:
- prohibit discrimination based on genetic information in hiring, firing, compensation and other employment decisions;
- prohibit employers from collecting genetic information through workplace genetic testing or other means, with very narrow exceptions (e.g., monitoring the effects of hazardous workplace exposures);
- prohibit health insurers and plans from requiring genetic testing and from discriminating based on genetic information in enrollment and premium-setting; and
- impose strict workplace confidentiality/disclosure rules on all genetic information.
Democrats and Republicans alike lauded the measure.
Louise Slaughter (D-NY), one of the bill’s main proponents, said: ”Since no one is born with perfect genes, we are all potential victims of genetic discrimination.” She hopes the measure will encourage more people to undergo testing.
Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) added that the legislation “protects both employees and employers by setting a standard of conduct that is easy to understand and easy to follow.” “We are far better off setting uniform, consistent rules of the road clearly and up front, rather than allowing them to be set piecemeal through litigation,” he said.
Said Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.): “It means that people whose genetic profiles put them at risk of cancer and other serious conditions can get tested and seek treatment without fear of losing their privacy, their jobs, and their health insurance.”
Several business groups opposed the bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on the grounds that it will add another layer of regulation to already overburdened employers. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) took no official position, but worked with lawmakers to improve the bill to make life easier for the HR professionals who will be tasked with implementing it.
Stay tuned for more.
(Useless Trivia: The measure also sailed through the Senate, by a 95-0 vote. The only “no” vote in the entire process came from Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas).)
