The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) today by a vote of 414-1, building on the momentum of last week's unanimous Senate vote.
The Coalition for Genetic Fairness (www.geneticfairness.org), which has worked for 13 years toward the passage of legislation to eliminate the misuse of genetic information, today applauded the members of Congress for acting on this important bill.
"At long last, everyone with DNA can celebrate the passage of GINA in both chambers of Congress during the same session," said Sharon Terry, President of the Coalition and CEO of Genetic Alliance (www.geneticalliance.org). "We are all so grateful to our champions in the House for their perseverance and dedication. We now look towards the signing of GINA into law."
This legislation will be the first to prohibit employers and health insurers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.
"GINA will be the first civil rights act passed by the Congress in almost 20 years," said Jeremy Gruber, Legal Director for the National Workrights Institute. "This marks the first time in the history of our country that legislation has been passed to protect against genetic discrimination before it becomes deeply ingrained in the very fabric of our society."