House Passes Genetic Discrimination Act, Senate Approval Expected
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act is closer to becoming law than ever before, and if passed, would expand current anti-discrimination law to protect individuals with regard to their genetic information.
The House version of the Act was overwhelmingly passed on April 26, 2007, by a vote of 420-3. It had been introduced by Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY) for the seventh time in the last twelve years. The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (ME), was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate in previous years. This year, it made it through committee and is waiting to be scheduled for consideration by the entire Senate. It is sponsored by 29 senators and is expected to pass this session. According to press reports, the Act is also supported by President Bush and the American Medical Association.
