Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

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Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

Long title	An act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment.
Acronyms (colloquial)	GINA
Enacted by	the 110th United States Congress
Effective	May 21, 2008
Citations
Public law	110-233
Statutes at Large	122 Stat. 881
Codification
Acts amended	Employee Retirement Income Security Act Public Health Service Act Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Social Security Act of 1965 Fair Labor Standards Act
Titles amended	29, 42
U.S.C. sections amended	29 U.S.C. § 216(e) 29 U.S.C. § 1132 29 U.S.C. § 1182 29 U.S.C. § 1182(b) 29 U.S.C. § 1191b(d) 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-1 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-1(b) 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-21(b)(2) 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-22(b) 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-51 et seq. 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-61(b) 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-91 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-91(d) 42 U.S.C. § 1395ss 42 U.S.C. § 1395ss(o) 42 U.S.C. § 1395ss(s)(2)
Legislative history
Introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 493 by Louise Slaughter (D-NY) on January 16, 2007 Committee consideration by Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, and Ways and Means Passed the House on April 25, 2007 (420-3) Passed the Senate on April 24, 2008 (95-0) with amendment House agreed to Senate amendment on May 1, 2008 (414-1) Signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 21, 2008

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 110–233 (text) (PDF), 122 Stat. 881, enacted May 21, 2008, GINA /ˈdʒiː.nə/ JEE-nə), is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit some types of genetic discrimination. The act bars the use of genetic information in health insurance and employment: it prohibits 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 developing a disease in the future, and it bars employers from using individuals' genetic information when making hiring, firing, job placement, or promotion decisions.^[1] Senator Ted Kennedy called it the "first major new civil rights bill of the new century."^[2] The Act contains amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974^[3] and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.^[4]

In 2008, on April 24 H.R. 493 passed the Senate 95-0. The bill was then sent back to the House of Representatives and passed 414-1 on May 1; the lone dissenter was Congressman Ron Paul.^[5] President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on May 21, 2008.^[6][7]