Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which extends crucial Federal protections against discrimination based on an individual’s genetic information. 

The new millennium has seen unprecedented scientific advances in genetic research that have brought a renewed hope of solving today’s most difficult medical puzzles.  Since the human genome was fully mapped in 2003, many in the scientific and medical communities have viewed genetic medicine as the next step toward finding better diagnoses, treatments and possible cures for a wide spectrum of diseases.  These advances have also raised legitimate ethical concerns about the potential misuse of genetic information in workforce and insurance related decisions. Although current law already addresses certain aspects of this issue, the importance of protecting individuals from discrimination and safeguarding the right to privacy cannot be overstated. 

This bill will guarantee more comprehensive protections from discrimination in health insurance and employment on the basis of genetic information. Specifically, it will prohibit group health plans and health insurers from denying coverage to a healthy individual or charging that person higher premiums based solely on a genetic predisposition to develop a disease in the future. Furthermore, it bars employers, employment agencies, labor organizations or training programs from using an individual’s genetic information when making hiring, firing, job placement or promotion decisions. 

Genetics is a field of study that offers tremendous promise for medical advancement, but we must give thoughtful consideration to the implications of these emerging discoveries on society.  No individual should fear discrimination based on genetic technologies.  H.R. 493 will allay concerns about the potential for discrimination, encourage individuals to participate in genetic research, and take advantage of genetic testing, new technologies, and new therapies.  I thank Congresswoman Slaughter for her leadership on this issue and urge my colleagues to support its passage.