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S 4826

Relates to appeals made by employers or insurance carriers for modification, rescission or review of an award or decision

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Ryan

Requires DTC genetic testing firms in NJ to protect health data under HIPAA/state law, prohibit sale/sharing, and destroy data on certain events with consumer opt-in options.

REFERRED TO LABOR
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Bill Summary · S 4826

Summary of Senate Bill S 4826

Overview

  • Bill number: S 4826
  • Title: Relates to appeals made by employers or insurance carriers for modification, rescission, or review of an award or decision (note: the introduced version provided focuses on health information and biotechnology companies)
  • Purpose (as introduced): Establish new consumer data protections for health information held by direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies.
  • Status: Referred to LABOR (with prior referral history noted)
  • Introduced: November 6, 2025
  • Primary sponsor: M. Teresa Ruiz

What the bill would do

  • Require biotechnology companies that possess a consumer’s health information to comply with:
    • The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and all applicable state laws governing storage and sale of protected health information, plus related regulations.
  • Prohibit sale, sharing, or dissemination of a consumer’s health information or aggregate health data to any other entity, whether the data is individual or aggregated.

Key provisions and requirements

  • Destruction upon certain events
    • If a biotechnology company that holds health information merges, is acquired, or declares bankruptcy, it must destroy all such information and data in its possession.
    • The company must notify consumers at least 60 days before the destruction.
    • Before destruction, the company must provide consumers with an option to download or retrieve their information.
  • Retention and continuation in a merger/acquisition
    • In a merger or acquisition, the company may request to retain the consumer’s health information by offering a form that requests continued use and storage.
    • The form must inform the consumer of any changes in how their data may be used and provide an option to have the information destroyed.
  • Consumer rights and definitions
    • Consumer: A New Jersey resident who provided a genetic sample to a biotechnology company for ancestry or genealogical information.
    • Biotechnology company: An entity providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing for ancestry/genealogy (examples include 23andMe, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Gene by Gene, Full Genomics, Nebula Genomics).
    • Health information / health data: Genetic information of the consumer plus other health information defined under 42 U.S.C. s.1320d.

Effective date

  • Takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Direct-to-consumer genetic testing firms operating in New Jersey that hold consumer genetic/health information (e.g., ancestry and genealogy testing providers).
  • New Jersey residents who have provided genetic material to such companies.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Legislative history:
    • Introduced in the Senate on 2025-11-06 and referred to the Senate Labor Committee (though the version text also notes a prior reference to Labor on 2025-02-13 and a separate committee reference to Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens).
  • Related items:
    • Related bill: S 7025 (prior-session)

Potential impact

  • Strengthens protection of consumer genetic/health data in NJ by mandating HIPAA/state-law compliance, prohibiting data sale or sharing, and imposing destruction obligations tied to corporate events.
  • Establishes a defined process for data retrieval before destruction and for continued use/storage with consumer consent, including disclosure of changes in data usage.
  • Could affect business practices and data retention policies of DTC genetic testing companies operating in New Jersey.

If you’d like, I can pull out a side-by-side comparison with current NJ privacy statutes or summarize potential enforcement mechanisms and penalties if those are added in the final text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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