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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 Sort ascending Primary Link Topic(s) Bill Status Summary
Maryland Other Topics Died

Prohibits a hospital or related institution from discriminating in admitting or providing care for an individual based on various factors, including genetic information. Died.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Topics Died

Declares that it is the policy of the state to provide affordable health care to all regardless of various factors, including genetic information. Prohibits discrimination based on genetic information by a hospital; a person licensed or otherwise regulated by the Maryland Department of Health; and a person, including a health maintenance organization, that provides health benefits and has a certificate of authority from issued by the Maryland Department of Insurance. Died.

Maryland Other Topics, Privacy Died

Requires the Motor Vehicle Administration to offer to an applicant for a driver's license, identification card, or moped operator's permit the opportunity to upgrade to an enhanced identification document. The enhanced ID will be embedded with memory and a microprocessor chip that stores biometric identifiers, which may include DNA. Died.

Maryland Other Topics Statute

Establishes requirements for the use of genetic genealogical DNA analysis for criminal justice purposes.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Enacted

Amends existing law pertaining to carriers, defined as insurers, nonprofit health service plans and health maintenance organizations, that offer wellness programs. Health factors are defined to include genetic information. Carriers may seek verification from health care providers that a health factor makes it unreasonably difficult or medically inadvisable for an individual to satisfy or attempt to satisfy an otherwise applicable standard to qualify for a reward of the wellness program. Approved by the Governor April 8, 2014.

Maryland Privacy Died

Requires certain businesses that collect a consumer's personal information to provide certain clear and conspicuous notices to the consumer at or before the point of collection. The bill defines biometric information to include an individual's DNA. In the Senate - First Reading Senate Rules. Died.

Maryland Privacy Died

Requires certain state and local governmental units to secure by encryption personal information of an individual that the unit has collected as computerized data. Personal information includes a genetic print or image. Died.

Maryland Employment Nondiscrimination Statute

Prohibits the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission from discriminating against a person on the basis of genetic information. Requires that contracts entered into by the Commission include a provision stating that contractors will not to discriminate in any manner against an employee or an applicant for employment based on a variety of factors, including genetic information.

Maryland Other Topics Died

A hospital or related institution may not discriminate in admitting or providing personal care based on genetic information. Died.

Maryland Other Topics, Privacy Enacted

This bill establishes that a certain forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and search may not be initiated without certifying certain information before a court and obtaining a certain authorization from the court; prohibits certain biological samples subjected to certain forensic genetic genealogical profile analysis to be used to determine certain information about a certain donor; requires the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to produce a certain annual report; etc.

Maryland Health Insurance Nondiscrimination, Other Lines of Insurance Nondiscrimination Died

This bill repeals an exemption for disability insurance under the state genetic nondiscrimination law and amends the definition of genetic information used in the health_insurance_nondiscrimination law. Measure failed.

Maryland Privacy Died

Establishes consumer protections pertaining to the collection, possession, use, disclosure and retention of biometric identifiers. Biometric information is defined to include genetic markers and genetic testing information. Died.

Maryland Other Topics Died

Prohibits a hospital from withholding financial assistance or from denying a patient's application for financial assistance based on genetic information. Died.

Maryland Other Topics, Privacy Died

Permits a health insurance carrier to make available upon request an upgrade to a biometric health care identification card that can securely validate one's identity and access his or her medical history. Biometric identification is defined to include DNA. Died.

Maryland Research Statute

The law prohibits research using a human subject unless the person conducts the research in accordance with the federal regulations on the protection of human subjects.

Maryland Privacy Enacted

Amends the Maryland Personal Information Protection Act. Requires a business to inform an employee or a former employee in the event of a breach of a security system that contains personal information, including a genetic print. A business subject to HIPAA is considered to be in compliance with the law. 5/4/2017 Approved by the Governor. Chapter 518. Effective January 1, 2018.

Maryland Research Died

Requiring hospital administrators to provide patients with a specified patient's bill of rights. The bill of rights addresses patient participation in research. Died.

Maryland Privacy Died

Enacts the Online Consumer Protection Act. Defines biometric information to include an individual's DNA. Died.

Maryland Privacy Died

This bill restricts access to, use of and retention of DNA samples and disclosure of DNA test results without consent with some exemptions. The bill also provides personal property rights to DNA samples and DNA test results and requires the health department to develop a uniform written informed consent form. Penalties are set forth for violations. Measure failed.

Maryland Privacy Died

Amends the definition of biometric information under the Maryland Data privacy act. The definition of biometric information referring to a genetic print is stricken. The revised definition of biometric information includes physiological, biological, or behavioral characteristics, including an individual's DNA, that can be used singly, in combination with each other, or with other identifying data to establish individual identity. 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.

Maryland Other Topics Died

Authorizes a person to advertise for, solicit business in the State for, offer, or perform direct to consumer genetic testing only if certain conditions are met. Died.

Maryland Other Topics Statute

A person who directly or indirectly advertises or solicits business for diagnostic laboratory tests or procedures is a covered entity under HIPAA and must make certain disclosures. The law does not apply to germline genetic or genomic testing for the analysis, diagnosis or prediction of human disease.

Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Enacted

The provision in the original version of the bill pertaining to the use of genetic information by carriers was amended. The enacted legislation establishes a workgroup on maintaining the protections established by the Affordable Care Act. May 13, 2019 Approved by the Governor - Chapter 418. Effective June 1, 2019.

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.

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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