Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) writes today on Daily KOS  that efforts to include the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 in the year-end budget bill are in danger of being thwarted. The bill passed the House by a vote of 420 - 3 in April of this year. But Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has reportedly placed a hold on the bill, causing it to be stalled in the Senate.

Congresswoman Slaughter writes:

We were able to circumvent Senator Coburn’s hold by getting GINA into the omnibus appropriations bill scheduled to be voted on next week by the full House and Senate.

However, in the negotiations right now and throughout the weekend, Senator Mitch McConnell is trying to remove the bill so it will not get an up or down vote next week, and will continue to be held hostage by Senator Tom Coburn and Senate rules.

Wired magazine recently noted the basis for Senator Coburn’s objection:

An internal memo obtained Thursday from Coburn's office said the senator's make-or-break objection was the possibility that an employer who provides health insurance for its workers could be sued both as an insurer and as an employer. That means employers could be hit for much higher damages than insurers.

WorkplaceHorizons.com will continue to monitor this issue.

Watch List: Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007

Additional Reading:

• GINA: An Update III
• Congresswoman Slaughter discusses the bill in this video: