WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), releases a statement on the passage of the Protect Older Job Applicants Act of 2021 (H.R. 3992), a bill to address discrimination against older job applicants under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

“Every person deserves a chance to work without the worry of discrimination,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “In Connecticut, the percentage of workers over 54 years old rose from 20 percent in 2008 to 27 percent in 2019, making it the sixth state with the largest aging worker population in the United States. I supported the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act of 2021 because providing older workers with a chance to enter and stay in the workforce is important for the growth of our communities and economy." 

The Protect Older Job Applicants Act:

  • Will amend the ADEA disparate impact statute to ensure that the ADEA protects older job applicants
  • Clarifies that older “applicants for employment” are also protected from age discrimination under federal law
  • Directly restores protections for older job applicants in the 7th and 11th Circuits by reversing Villarreal and Kleber, as well as prevent other circuits from adopting similar interpretations of the ADEA
  • Strengthens the EEOC’s interpretation that the ADEA covers job applicants and aligns ADEA protections for job applicants with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • AARP testified before the Education and Labor Committee urging Congress to remedy the loophole created by the Court of Appeals’ decisions that exclude job applicants under ADEA

The bill text can be found here.

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Congresswoman Jahana Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District. She was a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.

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