California Enacts Genetic Information Privacy Act

This week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Genetic Information Privacy Act, which had been passed unanimously by the California Senate and Assembly in September. The Act requires direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to provide consumers with certain information regarding the company’s policies and procedures for the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of genetic data, and to obtain a consumer’s express consent for collection, use, or disclosure of the consumer’s genetic data. The law imposes civil penalties for a violations, enforced by the Attorney General, a district attorney, county counsel, city attorney, or city prosecutor. EPIC tracks state genetic privacy laws through its State Policy Project.