Thursday, May 1, 2008

Legislative Bulletin: Technical Corrections to Senate Amendments to H.R. 493, Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act

Order of Business: The concurrent resolution is scheduled to be considered on Thursday, May 1, 2008, under a motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution.

Summary:   H.Con.Res. __ would direct the Clerk to make technical changes in the enrollment of H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), the Senate amendments to which are also scheduled to be considered in the House on May 1, 2008 under a closed rule. The concurrent resolution would correct two technical glitches discovered since the Senate amended and passed the legislation by a 95-0 vote on Thursday, April 24, 2008. Specifically, the enrolling resolution would extend the deadlines for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to publish updated standards and model regulations for Medigap plans to reflect the adjustments made by the GINA statute. In addition, the enrolling resolution would make a technical correction requested by the Administration that would continue to allow the Department of Defense to use genetic testing to identify the remains of deceased soldiers.

Additional Background: For further information on this issue see the Legislative Bulletin on the Senate amendments to H.R. 493, released earlier this week.