Congress Passes Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

Congress has passed a new employment discrimination law, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).  The bill passed the House today by a vote of 414-1. The Senate approved it last week 95-0. It now goes on to President Bush to sign into law.  Under GINA, it will be illegal for employers to make decisions to hire, fire, or promote based on genetic information.  GINA also prohibits using genetic information in decisions on health care coverage or in setting insurance premiums.  A New York Times article about the Act appears here and the full text of the legislation is here.