A bill to protect Americans from discrimination based on their genetic makeup has passed the Senate by a vote of 95-0, sending it to the president's desk via a final vote in the house that is considered a formality. President Bush is widely expected to sign the legislation into law.

The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, aka GINA and S. 358, had been bouncing around Congress for a decade, but this is the first time it has passed through both the House and Senate.

"After a very long wait, Americans can now be confident that their genetic information cannot be used by health insurers or employers in harmful or hurtful ways," Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and

Public Policy Center, said in a statement.

The legislation's passage could make consumers and patients more willing to have their DNA tested for disease-indicators, which could swing the door wide-open for so-called personalized medicine in which genetic and genomic data is used to tailor treatments. It could be a major win for genomic testing companies like 23AndMe and Navigenics, who are collecting and analyzing unprecedentedly large amounts of genetic information from their clients.

Genetic testing advocates worried that the adoption of testing would be slowed by the lack of government protection. Surveys appeared to back that sentiment with an overwhelming number of Americans saying they wanted their genetic data safeguarded from employers and insurers.

GINA, specifically, would bar employers and insurance companies from using genetic information in human resources decisions or determining insurance eligibility.

The bill appeared on the verge of passing into law last year before it got held up by Tom Coburn, a

Republican Senator from Oklahoma as detailed in a Wired.com story last year, "Genetic Non-Discrimination Bill Stalled in Senate."

Coburn's press secretary, Don Tatro, said that a clause was added to the legislation that removed Coburn's concerns.

"Dr. Coburn supported the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act the whole time," Tatro said. "We just wanted to make sure that we didn't create unintended consequences."

Image: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Further reading:

For a deep dive into the details of the intersection of discrimination and genetics, check out the American Progress report, "Genetic Non-Discrimination: Policy Considerations in the Age of Genetic Medicine" (pdf).