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Stevens Votes to Protect Older Workers Against Discrimination

January 15, 2020

Stevens Supported Legislation in Committee and on the House Floor to Eliminate Ageism in the Workplace

WASHINGTONOn Wednesday, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1230, the bipartisan Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. According to the AARP, roughly 3 in 5 workers age 45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.

“Older Americans face discrimination in the workplace every day, but it often goes unreported because current law makes age discrimination difficult to prove,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act will restore and strengthen workplace protections for older adults at a critical time when Americans are staying in the workforce longer and as the number of age discrimination complaints continues to increase. I was proud to support this bipartisan legislation in the Education & Labor Committee and on the House floor to allow older Americans to reach their full potential in the workplace, which will have a positive impact on the whole economy.”  

Rep. Stevens also cosponsored a bipartisan amendment that was unanimously adopted to study how older adult women are adversely impacted by gender and age discrimination in the workplace or employment.

The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is supported by numerous key organizations, including AARP, Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, National Council on Aging, Justice in Aging, AAUW, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, American Association of People with Disabilities, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, National Disability Institute, Easterseals, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, National Education Association, AFSCME, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, and Paralyzed Veterans of America.

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