Jackie Speier: “Congress today is making an important first step toward protecting Americans from discrimination based on their genetic…”

“Congress today is making an important first step toward protecting Americans from discrimination based on their genetic information. I support this bill and the premise that a predisposition to disease should never be a factor in access to employment or insurance coverage. However, this is only a first step. I am compelled to remind this House, and all Americans, that this bill does not guarantee genetic information will not be abused by employers or insurers. The passage of this legislation should not give consumers a false sense of security. Until access to health care is available regardless of current or future health conditions, the potential for genetic discrimination will remain. And until we completely limit access to employee health records, there will be the potential for discrimination by employers. Mr. Speaker, passage of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act today is a strong step toward protecting sensitive genetic information, but no journey is completed in just one step. I look forward to addressing the underlying problems not fixed by this bill so we can truly protect Americans' privacy and guard against discrimination based on preexisting health conditions.”