When GINA Just Isn't Enough

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that extends the privacy and protections of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act even further, says the University of Pennsylvania's Jennifer Wagner at Genomics Law Report. CalGINA, as it's called, amends existing non-discrimination laws in California to cover discrimination based on genetic information, Wagner says. "It mimics the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act in its definition of genetic information: genetic information does not include information about an individual's sex or age, but the definition does include genetic tests of an individual, genetic tests of an individual's family members and family medical history," she adds. But where the federal version of GINA says people are protected from genetic discrimination in the areas of employment and health insurance, CalGINA extends that to include receipt of emergency medical care, distribution of alcoholic club licenses, access to facilities, and participation in state-funded or state-administrated activity or programs, among others. "Ultimately, CalGINA amends the Business and Professions Code, the Education Code, the Elections Code, the Government Code, the Penal Code, the Revenue and Taxation Code, and the Welfare and Institutions Code," Wagner says.