Economy, finance and labor

Executive Order 13145: To Prohibit Discrimination in Federal Employment Based on Genetic Information

President: Bill Clinton

Prohibited covered federal employment decisions and information practices based on protected genetic information.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13145 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13145 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13145 do?

EO 13145 set a federal-employment policy against decisions based on protected genetic information and generally restricted agencies from requesting, collecting, purchasing, disclosing or storing it in personnel files, subject to defined exceptions. The EEOC’s FY2025 justification still lists EO 13145 among authorities for federal-sector equal-employment programs. GINA, enacted in 2008, supplies separate statutory protections and enforcement procedures; the order itself says it creates no privately enforceable right.

Administration position: The order’s policy was limited to covered federal employment and expressly created no new judicially enforceable right; GINA later supplied broader statutory remedies.
SignedFebruary 8, 2000
CoordinatorEqual Employment Opportunity Commission
Later statuteGINA of 2008

Before and after

Before the order

Federal genetic-information protections were fragmented and did not state one government-wide employment policy.

After the order

Agencies received uniform restrictions on decisions, acquisition, disclosure and storage of protected genetic information.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Federal agenciesAvoid prohibited use and safeguard genetic informationContinuing
EEOCCoordinate policy and enforce GINA through current lawContinuing
Employees and applicantsUse applicable EEO procedures for statutory claimsCase-specific

What happened next

EO 13145 established the federal policy.

GINA became law.

GINA’s employment provisions took effect.