Derek Slap

Senator Slap Joins Governor Lamont for Signing of Anti-Age Discrimination Bill into Law

Today, Governor Lamont signed into law a bill introduced and championed by state Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) over the past three years that would make Connecticut a national leader in protecting older workers from age discrimination. The law was passed unanimously through the Senate and in a near-unanimous vote in the House during the 2021 legislative session.

The law prohibits employers from asking for an applicants’ date of birth or school graduation and/or attendance dates on job applications. Connecticut joins only a few states in America that explicitly bans this type of information on job applications.

“Today, Connecticut closed a loophole in state law that will protect our older workers. Connecticut has one of the oldest workforces in the country and we are in the midst of a labor shortage. We lose too much experience, skills, and opportunity when people are prevented from even getting their foot in the door for a job because they are older,” said Sen. Slap. “While this new law will not eliminate age discrimination, it will make it more likely that older applicants are able to get to the interview stage and be vetted based on their professional experience, not their age.”

“I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate and House, the Connecticut AARP, the numerous advocates and especially Governor Lamont for taking this final step in making Connecticut a national leader in preventing age-based discrimination in the workplace.” Sen. Slap continued.

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.

About 60% of older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, according to a 2018 AARP study. The study also found 76% of them view age discrimination as a hurdle to finding new employment.

Further, these new age-discrimination protections will benefit residents across Connecticut, which has the 6th-oldest workforce in the U.S., with a median age of 41 as of 2017 and 436,000 workers in their mid-50’s.

Nearly a third of U.S. households headed by a person 55 years old or above have no retirement savings or pension, meaning they will have to remain employed or rely on Social Security in order to survive financially.