Ayotte Urges Senate HELP Committee to Pass Bill to Protect Older Workers from Discrimination

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte and a bipartisan group of Senators recently sent a letter to Senate Committee on Health, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray, urging them to quickly advance the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) through committee. In the letter, the Senators noted the strong bipartisan support for POWADA, which restores the intent of Congress to fully empower older workers to seek redress in the courts and to root out discrimination in the workplace.

"Age discrimination is a key reason it takes, on average, a full year for an older worker to find employment. We must ensure that the law protects older Americans and does not discourage them from seeking employment," the Senators wrote. "The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act would not only restore the employment rights of older workers, but would additionally authorize the same burden of proof for an unlawful employment practice claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973."

In addition to Senator Ayotte, the letter was signed by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

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