STATE SENATOR
Derek Slap
DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER
YOUR VOICE COUNTS
- Representing
- West Hartford,
- Farmington,
- Burlington,
- Bloomfield
HARTFORD – The legislature’s Aging Committee today voted unanimously to draft a bill championed by state Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) that would make Connecticut a national leader in protecting older workers from age discrimination.
The bill prohibits employers from asking for date of birth, school graduation and/or attendance dates on job applications. If enacted, Connecticut would be one of the only states that explicitly bans this information from job applications.
The bill would allow for prospective employers to ask about a date of birth if there is a bona fide occupational need, or if state or federal laws require it.
Senate Bill 56, “AN ACT DETERRING AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION,” is the same bill that received widespread support last year – including from the Connecticut AARP, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and a group of West Hartford seniors – before the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2020 legislative session.
“This bill comes at a critical time for older workers,” said Sen. Slap, who is Senate Chair of the Aging Committee. “We know that during the last recession unemployed folks who were age 50 and over waited longer to find work than younger applicants. Women and people of color are especially impacted by age discrimination. We cannot let that happen again. No one should be vetted for a job because of their age, and this bill closes a costly loophole for older workers. Employers cannot ask for an applicant’s age in an interview, but they are currently allowed to ask for their date of birth on the application. I’m grateful for Representative Phipps’ partnership on this bill and for the strong bipartisan support on the committee.”
“Age discrimination in any form is prohibited in our state, and we must protect the rights of qualified applicants as they search for ways to empower their families and strengthen the economy,” said state Rep. Quentin Phipps (D-Middletown), who is House Chair of the Aging Committee. “Certain questions on job applications can easily target applicants, preventing them to advance in the interviewing process. I support ending this practice and allowing individuals seeking employment to be treated fairly, regardless of age.”
With 436,000 workers in their mid-50’s, Connecticut has the 6th-oldest workforce in the nation, with a median age of 41 (as of 2017.) Just 20% of Connecticut employees were over the age 54 in 2008; today that figure is 26.5%, with the health care, manufacturing, educational services and retail trade industries employing the most workers over age 54.
A 2018 AARP survey found about 60% of older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and 76% of them see age discrimination as a hurdle to finding a new job. Meanwhile, nearly a third of U.S. households headed by someone age 55 or older have no retirement savings or pension, meaning they’ll have to continue working or rely on Social Security in order to survive financially.
Sen. Slap said there will be a public hearing on the bill in the coming weeks, and he urged anyone who has experienced age discrimination to offer testimony.
The Aging Committee also voted today to raise more than a dozen other bills as “concepts” to be drafted, debated and later voted on. Those concept bills include: