They will also be noted in a future issue of the TGAC Hotline. An administration spokesman said the action was designed to prevent genetic screening by employers before it becomes endemic. Clinton s executive order prohibits federal employers from requiring or requesting genetic tests as a condition of being hired or receiving benefits. The order bars federal employers from using genetic information to deny employees advancement opportunities such as overseas assignments. Exceptions are provided when necessary to provide medical treatment to employees, ensure workplace health and safety, or provide occupation and health research data.
Violations are subject to federal and state privacy protections.
The entire Steering Committee of The Genome Action Coalition, along with many other members, was invited to the announcement by the White House. The event was held at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Committee, which includes two members of the TGAC Steering Committee, is required to make recommendations to Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. David Satcher by March. If adopted, the safeguards would go well beyond the typical safety and efficacy criteria used by the FDA and other regulatory agencies. At the event described above in which President Clinton issued an Executive Order outlawing federal employers from using genetic information in a discriminatory manner, he also took the opportunity to endorse two companion bills that would have a much broader reach into the private sector.