The California legislature is taking steps to essentially halt the controversial gene testing of incoming freshman and transfer students at the University of California, Berkeley. A bill was introduced last week that would ask the UC system to refrain from "making an unsolicited request to an enrolled or prospective student of that segment for a DNA sample for the purpose of genetic testing." It would also require that the universities report how much they are spending on such tests; the schools would then have their funding reduced by that amount.

The bill was introduced (or more accurately, gutted-and-amended) as an emergency measure. It would take effect immediately upon passage, but requires a 2/3 supermajority for passage.

Previously in Biopolitical Times:

• California stem cell agency bars public from meeting on eggs
• ASHG Takes on Genetic Ancestry Tests
• The Big Game of Student Genetic Testing
• UC Berkeley Proposes Genetic Testing of Freshmen
• Race, Genetics, and Law School Emails

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