Officials at the Human Genome Initiative, acutely aware of the threat of genetic discrimination, are seeking legal weapons that citizens can use to protect themselves, report Elinor J. Langfelder and Eric T. Juengst of the project’s Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Branch. Under today’s laws, [open quotes]there is little to discourage employers from using genetic tests to identify and exclude prospective employees who, because of genetic disorders, may face a greater than average number of costly health insurance claims,[close quotes] they note. To head off such discrimination before it occurs, a joint National Institutes of Health/Department of Energy task force on ethical, legal, and social implications has been formed. It is recommended a number of actions to limit employer and insurance company access to genetic information.