Governor Gianforte Signs Historic Privacy Legislation
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On June 7, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed SB 351, the Genetic Information Privacy Act, into law. Companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe must now obtain consent before sharing genetic data with third parties (e.g., police, researchers).
Introduced by Montana State Senator Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, this important law ensures that Montanans will maintain control over their genetic material, advancing genetic privacy rights nationwide.
Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) initiated a grassroots campaign urging Governor Gianforte to sign SB 351.
Following the signing of this historic legislation, Senator Zolnikov told CCHF:
“I would like to thank Montana’s legislature and Governor Gianforte for understanding the importance of the true ownership and rights Montanans deserve regarding our DNA. Our genetic information is the ultimate foundation of our being and can be utilized to predict our current and future behaviors, health, tendencies, and much more. By setting this precedent, we put individuals in the driver’s seat of their own precious personal information instead of leaving it up to the discretion of companies and non-existent federal regulations. Time and time again, the data of Americans has been abused. By protecting our DNA today, we can prevent future abuse that could range from identifying predictive behavior through genetic analysis and trends, to creating a massive pool of data to use to profile and market to individuals. The future is unknown, but today we have drawn a clear line in the sand of ensuring that the individual is involved in the conversation.”
“CCHF appreciates Senator Zolnikov’s work to protect genetic privacy rights in Montana. His legislation, now law, should be replicated state by state, protecting citizens from outsiders making claims upon their most private data – their genetic code,” said Twila Brase, president and co-founder of CCHF.
About Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom: CCHF exists to protect patient and doctor freedom. As a national, non-partisan health freedom organization, CCHF maintains a patient-centered, privacy-focused, free-market perspective.
April is “Truth About HIPAA” Month!