The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“GENETIC INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT OF 2005--Resumed” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S1595 on Feb. 17, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GENETIC INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT OF 2005--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 306) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment.
Mr. FRIST. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The question is on the passage of the bill.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. The following Senator was necessarily absent: the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Specter).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Biden) is necessarily absent.
I further announce that if present and voting, the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Biden) would vote ``yea.''
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coleman). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--98
AkakaAlexanderAllardAllenBaucusBayhBennettBingamanBondBoxerBrownbackBunningBurnsBurrByrdCantwellCarperChafeeChamblissClintonCoburnCochranColemanCollinsConradCornynCorzineCraigCrapoDaytonDeMintDeWineDoddDoleDomeniciDorganDurbinEnsignEnziFeingoldFeinsteinFristGrahamGrassleyGreggHagelHarkinHatchHutchisonInhofeInouyeIsaksonJeffordsJohnsonKennedyKerryKohlKylLandrieuLautenbergLeahyLevinLiebermanLincolnLottLugarMartinezMcCainMcConnellMikulskiMurkowskiMurrayNelson (FL)Nelson (NE)ObamaPryorReedReidRobertsRockefellerSalazarSantorumSarbanesSchumerSessionsShelbySmithSnoweStabenowStevensSununuTalentThomasThuneVitterVoinovichWarnerWyden
NOT VOTING--2
BidenSpecter
The bill (S. 306), as amended, was passed.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am pleased to have supported the
``Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005,'' a bill that will prohibit discrimination based on genetic information with respect to employment and health insurance. This bill represents much cooperation on the part of my colleagues, and I want to thank them for all the hard work done on this important issue.
I am extremely pleased with today's passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act as it marks a great milestone for those of us involved in the Human Genome Project. It seems only a short time ago that the Human Genome Project was created as a joint effort between the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. What progress we have made.
In the last 2 years, there have been many events celebrating the completion of maps of the human genome. The genome map has brought a promise of improved health through revolutionary new treatments for illness and disease. The ultimate result of mapping the human genome is a complete genetic blueprint, a blueprint containing the most personal and most private information that any human being can have. We will now have a wealth of knowledge of how our countless individual traits are determined. And perhaps more important, we will have fundamental knowledge about the genes that can cause sickness and sometimes even death.
Our personal and unique genetic information is the essence of our individuality. Our genetic blueprint is unique in each of us. However, as genetic testing becomes a more frequently used tool, we now must begin to address the ethical and legal issues regarding discrimination on the basis of genetic information. Questions regarding privacy and confidentiality, ownership and control, and consent for disclosure and use of genetic information need to be carefully considered.
An unintended consequence of this new scientific revolution is the abuses that have arisen as a result of our gathering genetic information. Healthy people are being denied employment or health insurance because of their genetic information. By addressing the issue of nondiscrimination, we are affirming the right of an individual to have a measure of control over his or her personal genetic information.
Genetic information only indicates a potential susceptibility to future illness. In fact, many individuals identified as having a hereditary condition are, indeed, healthy. Some people who test positive for genetic mutations associated with certain conditions may never develop those conditions at all. Genetic information does not necessarily diagnose disease. Yet many people in our society have been discriminated against because other people had access to information about their genes, and made determinations based on this information that the individual was too risky to ensure or unsafe to employ.
While the issue is complex, our objective is clear; people should be encouraged to seek genetic services and they should not fear its discriminatory use or disclosure. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act is an important first step toward protecting access for all Americans to employment and health services regardless of their genetic inheritance. There is simply no place in the health insurance or employment sector for discrimination based solely upon genetic information.
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