WASHINGTON – For the fifth time in 10 years, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine has introduced a bill to prevent insurance companies and businesses from discriminating against people who have a genetic disposition toward diseases such as cancer, Huntington’s disease or glaucoma.

The Senate approved the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, 95-0, in October 2003, but the measure did not make it through the House in the face of opposition from business and insurance groups.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved the latest version on Wednesday, and it is expected to go to the floor of the Senate for a vote sometime next week.

The bill would strengthen safeguards on patients’ medical records and prevent insurance companies from using the results of genetic testing to limit a person’s coverage, raise premiums or deny coverage. It also would prevent employers from using such records in deciding whether to hire or fire anyone.

By reintroducing the bill so quickly in the new Congress, Snowe hopes “we can expeditiously get it through the floor of the Senate … and put pressure on our colleagues in the House,” said Antonia Ferrier, the senator’s press secretary.

No federal law against genetic discrimination exists, Ferrier said, but it is becoming increasingly important to have such a law, she added, because modern technology can provide a lot of medical information that could be used for discrimination.

Snowe first introduced the bill in 1996 and was bolstered in her efforts to get it passed by a letter from concerned constituent Bonnie Lee Tucker of Hampden. Tucker was one of nine close relatives previously diagnosed with cancer. While early detection through genetic testing is one key to surviving breast cancer, Tucker’s daughter, Laura, then 25 years old, would not take the test for fear of being denied insurance coverage or a job.

“That kind of constituent story really proves why we have to have this legislation passed,” Ferrier said.

The Tuckers have since moved away from Hampden and could not be reached for comment this week about the legislation being reintroduced.

Snowe reiterated in a press release, however, that “insurers should not be allowed to deny coverage, cancel coverage or adjust premium rates, and employers should not be able to use genetic information as a means of determining employment decisions.”

Snowe also previously had noted that more people need to use genetic testing to provide data for medical research, and those who get tested need assurance they will not be discriminated against based on the results.