Press Releases

Today, House Democrats passed H.R. 1230, an unnecessary and misleading bill that will significantly benefit trial lawyers at the expense of older American workers.
 
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Republican Leader of the Education and Labor Committee, said on the House floor prior to the vote: “It is encouraging to see more and more older Americans continue to make invaluable contributions in the workplace, and Committee Republicans are committed to eliminating discrimination in the workplace to ensure a productive and competitive workforce.
 
“Unfortunately, H.R. 1230 is an unnecessary and misleading bill that does not 'protect older workers,' and is yet another case of false advertising and empty promises.
 
“Committee Democrats failed to allow a proper examination of H.R. 1230, depriving Members of the opportunity to review the legislation appropriately before it was considered by the Committee, and as a result, we are left with the ill-advised bill before us today.
 
“This one-size-fits-all ‘government-knows-best’ approach is not the answer and will significantly benefit trial lawyers at the cost of older American workers.”
 
BACKGROUND: It is already against the law, as it should be, to discriminate in the workplace because of an individual’s age. Unnecessary and overbearing, H.R. 1230 overturns Supreme Court precedent and allows employees to sue their employers if age was only one of multiple factors but not the decisive factor in an employer’s unfavorable employment action. Allowing such “mixed-motive” claims will eliminate the carefully balanced standard Congress adopted when it passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, resulting in more frivolous lawsuits.