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Genome Statute and Legislation Database

The Genome Statute and Legislation Database is comprised of state statutes and bills introduced during the 2002-2024 U.S. state legislative sessions.

Overview

The Genome Statute and Legislation Database is reviewed and updated monthly. Searchable topics in the database include employment and insurance discrimination, health insurance coverage, privacy, research, the use of residual newborn screening specimens and other topics of interest.

Definitions of terms such as "bill", "statute", and "regulation" are available through the Glossary of Statutory, Legislative, and Regulatory Terms.

For other helpful links and legislative databases, please see Additional Resources.

Search

State Primary Link Topic(s) Bill Status Sort ascending Summary
New York Research Died

This bill regulates the use of human subjects for medical research and experimentation, including subjects with mental disorders and children. Measure failed.

Maine Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

In the absence of a medical diagnosis of a disease, disorder or syndrome related to genetic information, a health insurer, life insurer or long-term care insurer may not cancel, limit or deny coverage or establish differentials in premium rates based on such genetic information. A health insurer, life insurer or long-term care insurer may not request, require, purchase or otherwise solicit genetic information; use genetic test results; or consider an individual's decisions or actions relating to genetic testing in any manner for any insurance purpose. 6/10/2021 Reports Read. On motion by Senator Sanborn of Cumberland the Majority Ought Not to Pass. Report accepted. In concurrence. Placed in Legislative Files. Died.

New York Privacy Died

Establishes the It's Your Data Act for the purposes of providing protections and transparency in the collection, use, retention, and sharing of personal information. Biometric information, which is defined to include DNA, is considered protected information. Died.

Texas Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Creates the Healthy Texas Program. The board for the program must create policies that promote nondiscrimination with respect to members and providers with regard to genetic information. Died.

Wisconsin Employment Nondiscrimination Died

Permits the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) or a person who has been discriminated against or subjected to unfair honesty or genetic testing to bring an action in circuit court to recover compensatory and punitive damages caused by the act of discrimination or unfair honesty or genetic testing after the completion of all administrative proceedings before DWD and the Labor and Industry Review Commission concerning the violation. Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.

Massachusetts Privacy Died

Prohibits an agency, executive office, department, board, commission, bureau, division or authority of the commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof, or any agent, contractor or subcontractor thereof, from acquiring, possessing, accessing or using any biometric surveillance system or any information derived from a biometric surveillance system operated by another entity. Allows certain exceptions such as the use of facial recognition technology by the registrar or motor vehicles. Biometric data is defined to include deoxyribonucleic acid. 11/30/2020 Reported out of Senate Conference Committee. See S2963 for report. Died.

Alaska Privacy Died

Establishes the Consumer Data privacy Act. Requires businesses to notify consumers before the collection of personal information. Consumers may opt out of the sale of personal information. Businesses must maintain privacy policies available online describing consumer's privacy rights such as the designated methods in which the consumer can request access or deletion of personal information. Biometric information, including deoxyribonucleic acid, is considered personal information. Carries over to 2022 session.

Missouri Privacy Died

This bill requires a state agency or education institution to obtain written consent from parents or eligible students before collecting any certain data points, including a biometric record (defined to include DNA). Died.

Florida Employment Nondiscrimination Died

This bill prohibits appointments, terminations, assignments, and maintenance of status, compensation, privileges and other terms and conditions of employment in the state personnel system based on genetic information. Measure failed.

New Jersey Privacy Died

Exempts certain health information, including genetic information, contained in 9-1-1 calls from definition of government record. Died.

Indiana Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

An insurer that issues an individual or group policy of accident and sickness insurance, small employer group health insurance plans, and health maintenance organization contracts may not establish rules for eligibility of an individual to enroll or continued enrollment based on any of the following health status related factors, including genetic information. Died.

New York Other Topics Died

A Transportation Network Company (TNC) may not discriminate against passengers or potential passengers on the basis of a genetic predisposition. TNC drivers must comply with the anti-discrimination law. Died.

Maryland Privacy Died

Requires a business, when destroying an employee's or a former employee's records that contain personal information, including a genetic print, to take steps to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the information. States when a business that owns, licenses, or maintains computerized data containing personal information must investigate a security breach. Died.

Rhode Island Health Insurance Coverage Died

Requires nonprofit hospital service contract, plan, or insurance policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state must provide coverage of all blood testing services, including specified genetic tests. Died.

Washington Privacy Died

Establishes protections for the use of biometric identifiers of an individual for commercial purposes. Biometric identifier is defined to include DNA. Died.

Massachusetts Health Insurance Coverage Died

Requires health_insurance_coverage of screening breast ultrasounds and breast MRI, in addition to mammograms, if the patient is at increased risk of cancer based on certain factors such as positive genetic testing. 4/30/2018 In Senate. Accompanied a study order, see S2496.

Mississippi Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Genetic information may not be excluded as a preexisting condition in the absence of a diagnosis of the condition related to the genetic information. Measure failed.

Colorado Privacy Died

Establishes the parent's bill of rights. Requirements set forth in the bill include parental written consent before any record of a minor child's blood or DNA is made, shared or stored unless required by law or court order. 02/13/2020 House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Postpone Indefinitely.

New Jersey Privacy Died

This bill sets forth requirements for government collection of biometric identifiers, including DNA. No governmental entity shall obtain a biometric identifier of an individual without authorization of the individual, with some exceptions such as law enforcement. Died.

Idaho Privacy Died

Regulates the collection, possession and disclosure of biometric identifiers, defined to include human DNA, by private entities. Died.

New York Privacy Died

Establishes the office of data protection and privacy for intelligence data centers to protect the privacy of personal information and biometric identifiers, including DNA. Died.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

This bill provides an individual with a right to civil if the state genetic nondiscrimination insurance statutes are violated. Measure failed.

North Carolina Employment Nondiscrimination Died

Amends genetic nondiscrimination in employment statute. Deletes existing provision related to genetic information and adds protected classes or protected categories, which is defined to include predisposing genetic characteristics. Died.

Vermont Privacy Died

This bill creates personal property rights to genetic information. The bill also prohibits disclosure of genetic information without informed written consent. Measure failed.

Wisconsin Privacy Died

Sets forth requirements regarding the deletion of consumer personal data, including genetic data, by controllers. 4/1/2020 Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.

Minnesota Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

This bill modifies the definition of genetic test under the Genetic Insurance Discrimination Act and adds a new section restricting the use of genetic information in individual and group life, disability income and long-term care insurance. For underwriting and ratemaking purposes, these insurers may not request or require a genetic test, use genetic test results other than those in the medical record or use genetic test results in the medical record without claims experience, substantial data or actuarial justification. Measure failed.

Arizona Privacy Died

Amends the state genetic privacy law. Declares genetic testing and the information derived from it, whether in the possession of a public or private entity, to be the exclusive private property of the person tested. Died.

Missouri Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Proposes a Constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, to provide that prohibits health plans from limiting or excluding benefits relating to any condition based on the fact that the condition is a preexisting condition or charging a different premium rate or imposing different out-of-pocket costs for the same coverage based on the fact that a person covered under the plan has a preexisting condition. Genetic information should not be treated as a preexisting condition in the absence of a diagnosis of the condition related to such information. 4/13/2021 Reported Do Pass House Rules Committee. Died.

Florida Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Creates Healthy Florida Program for purpose of comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage. The Board of the program must establish requirements and standards to promote nondiscrimination, including based on genetic information. Died.

New Mexico Employment Nondiscrimination, Privacy Died

Enacts the Uniform Protection of Genetic Information in Employment Act. The bill also amends the Genetic Information privacy Act. Died in Consumer and Public Affairs Committee.

Kentucky Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Makes technical changes to state statutes that prohibit the use of pre-existing condition exclusions based on genetic information. Clarifies that the prohibition applies to all insurers that offer any health benefit plan coverage. Died.

New York Other Topics Died

Establishes an eleven member genetics advisory council. Died.

Maryland Employment Nondiscrimination Died

Requires managers and supervisors in the Legislative and Executive branches of State government to immediately report certain incidents of workplace bullying, including bullying based on genetic information. 3/11/2019 Unfavorable Report by Finance; Withdrawn.

South Dakota Privacy Died

This bill establishes certain rights of parents regarding the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health care of their children and provides certain penalties for the violation of those rights. Rights set forth include the right to consent in writing before any record of a minor child's blood or deoxyribonucleic acid is created, stored, or shared. Died.

Washington Privacy Died

Enacts measures to safeguard the privacy, confidentiality, security, and integrity of a consumer's genetic data resulting from direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Died.

Louisiana Employment Nondiscrimination Died

This bill changes the person in charge of promulgating regulations for genetic monitoring from the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission to the chairman of the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights. Measure failed.

New York Privacy Died

Requires biometric identifies and information to be treated in a manner similar to confidential and sensitive information such as a genetic marker or genetic testing information. Died.

Maryland Privacy Died

Requires certain businesses that collect a consumer's personal information, including biometric information such as an individual's DNA, to provide certain clear and conspicuous notices to the consumer at or before the point of collection. Authorizes a consumer to submit a certain request for information to a business that collects the consumer's personal information. Requires a business to comply with a request for information within 45 days after receiving a request. Died.

Texas Privacy Died

This bill gives an individual property rights to his or her DNA sample. A person may not collect a DNA sample, perform a genetic test or retain a DNA sample, with few exceptions such as for law enforcement purposes. Measure failed.

West Virginia Privacy Died

Establishes a parental bill of rights. Requirements include parental consent in writing before any record of a minor child's blood or DNA is made, shared, or stored, unless such blood or DNA is otherwise required by law or court order. Died.

Illinois Privacy Died

Amends the Personal Information Protection Act. Provides that individuals and entities have intellectual property rights in their digital identity assets. Provides for the payment of royalties to individuals and entities for access, for the purpose of commercial advertising, to their digital assets. Digital assets include, but are not limited to, information accumulated regarding an individual's or entity's personal information. Personal information includes medical history such as RNA and DNA profiles and genetic history. Carries over to 2022 session.

Massachusetts Privacy Died

Establish protections for the privacy of personal information pertaining to consumers, including biometric information such as DNA. 2/13/2020 In Senate. Accompanied a study order see S2534. Died.

Mississippi Privacy Died

Allows parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in public schools to opt-out of sharing their child's personal information with the federal government and other agencies and private contractors. Personal information includes a DNA sequence. 1/31/2017 Died in Committee.

Connecticut Other Topics Died

Creates a penalty for the unauthorized public photography of an individual with a genetic or medical condition. Died.

New Jersey Privacy Died

Expands the state law on discrimination by prohibiting any entity that operates a health program or activity from: 1. Excluding participation in, deny the benefits of, or otherwise discriminate under any health program or activity on the basis of an individual�s genetic information or 2. Aiding or perpetuating discrimination against any person by providing significant assistance to any entity or person that discriminates on the basis of genetic information. Died.

Illinois Privacy Died

Requires health insurance providers to protect health information related to sensitive services. A 2016 House Amendment would define sensitive services to include genetic testing. Died.

New York Research Died

This bill regulates the use of human subjects for medical research and experimentation, including subjects with mental disorders and children. Provisions include that no greater than minimal risk non-therapeutic human research may be conducted on a child without consent of a parent or guardian. Died.

Maryland Other Topics Died

Repeals a prohibition on advertising for or soliciting business related to direct to consumer genetic testing in the State. Died.

Oklahoma Other Topics Died

Requires certain residents of long-term care facilities to have a pharmacogenomics profile conducted. The profile must include the results of at least eighteen genes tested and be accompanied by treatment guidance for each disease state-tested. Died.

Virginia Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

This bill prohibits the treatment of genetic information as a preexisting condition in basic health insurance plans in the absence of a diagnosis of the condition related to such information. Measure failed.

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Additional Resources

Cornell Legal Information Institute
This website allows users to search for Federal and state laws and regulations. NHGRI’s Genome Statute and Legislation Database does not include regulations.

LawSeqSM Database
Developed at the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, this database allows users to search federal and state statutes, regulations, and reported judicial decisions. The database allows searches by jurisdiction (federal, state, and individuals states), source type, topic, and open text. This resource was developed by a project funded by NHGRI and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on “LawSeqSM: Building a Sound Legal Foundation for Translating Genomics into Clinical Application” (grant #: R01HG008605; Susan M. Wolf,. Ellen Wright Clayton, and Frances Lawrenz, principal investigators). The team keeps this database up to date.

National Society of Genetic Counselors
To find information about state genetic counselor licensing laws, visit the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ website. NHGRI’s Genome Statute and Legislation Database does not include state laws related to genetic counseling. 

Last updated: February 8, 2024