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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 Summary Sort descending
Delaware Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Prohibits group health insurers from establishing rules for eligibility of an individual to enroll based on a health status related factor of individuals, including genetic information. Prohibits individual health insurers from establishing rules for eligibility of an individual to enroll under the terms of the coverage based on health status-related factors, including genetic information. Signed by the Governor on July 15, 2013.

Alabama Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits health benefit plans, life insurers, and long term care insurers from (1) using an individual's genetic information to deny him or her insurance or to establish differentials in premium rates, or (2) requiring or soliciting genetic information, using genetic test results, or considering an individual's decisions or actions relating to genetic testing in any manner for insurance purposes. Died.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Prohibits health insurers, health maintenance organizations, nonprofit health insurance plan or any person or organization that provides health benefits plans from excluding or limiting certain benefits or denying certain coverage based on a health-status related factor, including genetic information. Enacted without Governor's signature 5/8/2020. Effective upon enactment.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Prohibits health insurers, health maintenance organizations, nonprofit health insurance plan or any person or organization that provides health benefits plans from excluding or limiting certain benefits or denying certain coverage based on a health-status related factor, including genetic information. Enacted without Governor's signature 5/8/2020. Effective upon enactment.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Statute

Prohibits health insurers, health maintenance organizations, nonprofit health insurance plan or any person or organization that provides health benefits plans from excluding or limiting certain benefits or denying certain coverage based on a health-status related factor, including genetic information. Health status-related factors also may not be used to (1) cancel or refuse to renew a small employer group plan or individual health plans; (2) establish rules for eligibility; or (3) charge higher premiums than similarly situated individuals in a group health plan.

Mississippi Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits health plans from denying coverage for a preexisting condition unless certain conditions are met. Genetic information may not be excluded as a preexisting condition in the absence of a diagnosis of the condition related to the genetic information. 1/30/2018 Died in Committee.

New York Employment Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits hiring parties from subjecting a model to harassment based on various factors, including predisposing genetic characteristics. Died.

New Hampshire Privacy Died

Prohibits information or service providers from directly or indirectly transferring, disclosing or otherwise making available to any person or government any personal information, including genetic profiles and DNA/RNA, related to individuals without written consent. Died.

Maine Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Prohibits insurers from requesting, requiring, purchasing or using information obtained from a direct-to-consumer genetic test without consent of the individual tested. Types of insurance covered under the law would include life, credit life, disability, long-term care, accidental injury, specified disease, hospital indemnity or credit accident insurance or an annuity. June 5, 2019 Signed by the Governor. Effective 90 days after adjournment on 6/19/19.

Connecticut Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Prohibits insurers, health care centers and fraternal benefit societies from, in connection with the issuance, withholding, extension or renewal of an annuity or an insurance policy for life, credit life, disability, long-term care, accidental injury, specified disease, hospital indemnity or credit accident insurance: (1) requesting, requiring, purchasing or using information obtained from an entity providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing without the informed written consent of the individual who has been tested; (2) conditioning insurance rates, the provision or renewal of insurance coverage or benefit or other conditions of insurance for an individual on a requirement or agreement that the individual undergo genetic testing; and (3) conditioning insurance rates, the provision or renewal of insurance coverage or benefit or other conditions of insurance for an individual on the results of any genetic testing of a member of the individual's family unless the results are contained in the individual's medical record. 7/7/2021 Signed by the Governor. Effective October 1, 2021.

Connecticut Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Statute

Prohibits insurers, health care centers and fraternal benefit societies from, in connection with the issuance, withholding, extension or renewal of an annuity or an insurance policy for life, credit life, disability, long-term care, accidental injury, specified disease, hospital indemnity or credit accident insurance: (1) requesting, requiring, purchasing or using information obtained from an entity providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing without the informed written consent of the individual who has been tested; (2) conditioning insurance rates, the provision or renewal of insurance coverage or benefit or other conditions of insurance for an individual on a requirement or agreement that the individual undergo genetic testing; and (3) conditioning insurance rates, the provision or renewal of insurance coverage or benefit or other conditions of insurance for an individual on the results of any genetic testing of a member of the individual's family unless the results are contained in the individual's medical record.

Connecticut Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits insurers, health care centers or fraternal benefit societies from purchasing information from direct-to-consumer genetic testing; requesting or requiring that a person disclose this information; or using such information in connection with the issuance, extension, renewal or withholding of an annuity, life insurance or health insurance. Insurers may not make provision of any insurance coverage, benefit, rate or term based on a requirement to undergo genetic testing or the results of a genetic test of an individual's family unless the results are in the individual's medical record. Died.

California Employment Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits licensing boards from requiring an examination or establishing any qualification for licensing that has an adverse impact on any class because of various attributes, including genetic information. Died.

Georgia Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Pending

Prohibits life and long-term care insurers that receive information from genetic testing from using the information for any non-therapeutic purpose, including, but not limited to, canceling, limiting, or denying coverage or establishing differentials in premium rates. These insurers also may not require or solicit genetic information, use genetic testing results, or consider a person's decisions or actions related to genetic testing in any manner for any insurance purpose. Carries over to 2022 session.

Louisiana Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Statute

Prohibits life and long-term care insurers, in determining eligibility for coverage, establishing premiums, limiting coverage, or making any other underwriting decisions from doing the following: (1) taking into consideration the fact that an individual or a family member of the individual participated in genetic research, including any request for or receipt of genetic services or participation by an individual or family member in clinical research that includes genetic services, unless the results of that genetic research are included in the individual's medical record or provided by the individual for consideration by the insurer; or (2) requiring or requesting an individual or a family member of the individual to take a genetic test. Additionally prohibits life and long-term care insurers from canceling or refusing to renew an existing policy based on (1) the fact that an individual or a family member of the individual requested or received genetic services; (2) the fact that an individual or a family member of the individual participated in genetic research, including clinical research that includes genetic services; or (3) purchasing genetic information about an individual without the individual's written consent. Insures may consider genetic information contained in an applicant's medical record if the information is relevant to a potential medical condition that impacts mortality or morbidity, and consideration of the genetic information is based on sound actuarial principles or reasonably expected experience.

Connecticut Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits life insurance companies from requiring genetic testing or using genetic information in connection with life insurance policies and annuity contracts. Died.

Florida Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits life insurers and long-term care insurers from basing decisions on genetic information. Prohibits these insurers from taking certain actions related to genetic information for any insurance purpose. Died.

Florida Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits life insurers and long-term care insurers from canceling, limiting, or denying coverage, or establishing differentials in premium rates, based on genetic information, if there is no diagnosis of a condition related to the genetic information. The bill also prohibits these insurers from requiring or soliciting genetic information, using genetic test results, or considering a person�s decisions or actions relating to genetic testing for any insurance purpose. 3/10/2018 Died in Rules.

Florida Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits life insurers and long-term care insurers, except under certain circumstances, from canceling, limiting, or denying coverage, or establishing differentials in premium rates, based on genetic information. 3/10/2018 Died in Banking and Insurance.

Florida Other Topics, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

Prohibits life insurers, long-term care insurers, and disability income insurers from certain actions relating to genetic information or genetic testing of applicants. Prohibits these insurers from taking certain actions relating to coverage or rates unless certain conditions are met. Requires entities providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing to obtain prior written authorization to disclose identifying health information to life or health insurers. Died.

Florida Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Statute

Prohibits life, long-term care, or disability income insurers from: (1) canceling, limiting or denying coverage, or establishing differentials in premium rates, based on genetic information in the absence of a diagnosis; (2) requiring or soliciting genetic information, using genetic test results, or considering a person's actions related to genetic testing for any insurance purpose.

Massachusetts Other Topics Died

Prohibits local or state administrative, legislative or regulatory body or instrumentality from engaging in discriminatory land use practices based on a variety of factors, including genetic information. 4/11/2018 Accompanied a new draft, see H4397.

Massachusetts Other Topics Died

Prohibits local or state administrative, legislative or regulatory body or instrumentality from engaging in discriminatory land use practices based on a variety of factors, including genetic information. Died.

Massachusetts Other Topics Died

Prohibits local or state administrative, legislative or regulatory body or instrumentality to from engaging in a discriminatory land use practice, including practices based on genetic information. 2/13/2020 In Senate. Accompanied a study order, see S2528. Died.

Massachusetts Other Topics Died

Prohibits local or state administrative, legislative or regulatory body or instrumentality to from engaging in a discriminatory land use practice, including practices based on genetic information. Accompanied a study order, see H5081. Died.

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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