Slaughter’s journey

In 1995, the same year Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) first introduced her bill seeking to ban genetic discrimination, the “Macarena” song was popular and “Braveheart,” “Toy Story” and “Apollo 13” were the hot movies.

For over a decade, Slaughter’s bill did not move through the House. The legislation, which would prohibit employers from using genetic screening information in hiring decisions, attracted bipartisan support. In the 108th Congress, for example, the legislation had 242 co-sponsors.

It also enjoyed broad support in the upper chamber, where Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) touted companion legislation.

Yet the employer community raised concerns and House GOP leaders declined to move the bill.

Democrats made the Slaughter legislation a top priority after taking control of the House, which passed the bill last year 420-3. The final version last week cleared 414-1. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) voted no.

The bill was altered to appease Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and the White House and will soon be signed by President Bush.

Slaughter called the measure the “most important thing I have ever done in my life.”

In a recent release, Slaughter said, “Since no one is born with perfect genes, each one of us is a potential victim of genetic discrimination. By prohibiting the improper use of genetic information, this bill encourages Americans to undergo the testing necessary for early treatment and prevention of genetic-based diseases.”

The Chamber of Commerce still opposes the bill, but stresses that it agrees that genetic discrimination should be banned. The Chamber is, however, skeptical about how the legislation will function in practice, believing that innocent businesses could unfairly face major penalties. It will be interesting to see how the new law works, or fails to work.

This newspaper is not endorsing the legislation, but taking note of the legislative achievement. Slaughter, 78, was patient. And even though the odds were against her when Republicans controlled Congress, she urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to sign on to her bill.

At the end of each Congress, Slaughter’s bill would die, only to be revived at the start of the next one. Finally, her legislation has reached the intended destination of all bills — the president’s desk.

Slaughter has been criticized by Republicans for her management of the Rules Committee in the 110th Congress, but despite that bitter tension, every GOP Rules Committee member voted for her bill.

Slaughter will now move on to her next legislative goal, but before that happens, she deserves to be applauded for reaching the finish line of a 13-year journey.