S 1995 · 107th Congress 2001–2003, ended

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2002

Introduced Mar 6, 2002 Originated Senate Sponsor Olympia J. Snowe R-ME

Fact sheet

Latest action · Mar 6, 2002 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedMar 6, 2002
Passed SenateNot reached
Passed HouseNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2002 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health discrimination on the basis of genetic information or services. Defines genetic information as genetic tests of an individual or family member or occurrence of a disease or disorder in family members used to predict risk of disease in asymptomatic or undiagnosed individuals. Defines genetic services as health services provided for genetic education and counseling.

Prohibits group health plans or health insurers offering group coverage from using genetic information to impose enrollment restrictions or adjust group premiums. Prohibits requests for genetic testing or results except as necessary for treatment, payment, or health care operations.

Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit such discrimination in coverage offered in the individual market.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue final regulations, coordinating with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor through an interagency memorandum of understanding.

Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection of genetic information except where necessary to monitor the effects of toxic substances in the workplace when authorized by the employee, or as required by law.

Requires genetic information to be treated as part of an individual's confidential medical record, limiting disclosure to the individual, the family, health researchers, or as required by law or court order.

Grants enforcement powers to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Cosponsors 10

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 6, 2002 to Jun 5, 2002, with 7 there on the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-NE	Chuck Hagel	Original	Mar 6, 2002
I-VT	James M. Jeffords	Original	Mar 6, 2002
R-NH	Judd Gregg	Original	Mar 6, 2002
R-WY	Michael B. Enzi	Original	Mar 6, 2002
R-OH	Mike DeWine	Original	Mar 6, 2002
R-ME	Susan M. Collins	Original	Mar 6, 2002
R-TN	William H. Frist	Original	Mar 6, 2002
D-NE	Ben Nelson		Mar 15, 2002
R-AR	Tim Hutchinson		Apr 16, 2002
R-IN	Richard G. Lugar		Jun 5, 2002

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Mar 6, 2002Introduced in Senate
Mar 6, 2002Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mar 6, 2002Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1613-1614)

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.

Support LegiList

This page is free, carries no paywall, and is built and maintained by one person. If the record here is useful to you, a few dollars keeps it going.

$1 $5 $10

Processed by Stripe in a separate window. LegiList never sees card details.

Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.