U.S. House Approves Buchanan-Backed Bill Protecting Older Workers from Discrimination

Press Release

The U.S. House Wednesday approved legislation to protect older workers from age discrimination in the workplace.

Buchanan was one of 34 Republicans to vote for the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, which clarifies that age discrimination may not play any role in employment decisions. The bill passed 261-155.

The nation's leading senior advocacy group, the AARP, praised Buchanan and passage of the bill. "AARP applauds Representative Buchanan for his work to pass bipartisan legislation to help fight age discrimination in the workplace," said Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president of government affairs. "Older workers are a valuable asset to their employees and the economy, yet more than 6 in 10 report seeing or experiencing age discrimination on the job."

Buchanan said, "Discriminating against older workers cannot be tolerated in any form. Older Americans contribute so much to our economy with their experience, skills and strong work ethic."

The bill restores anti-discrimination protections under the Age Discrimination in the Employment Act of 1967 that were weakened by a 2009 Supreme Court decision. That decision said age had to be the sole cause for the action against the older worker, changing the burden of proof and making it much harder to prove discrimination.

The bill approved by the House allows an older worker to sue for age discrimination even if age was not the sole cause of the challenged employment decision. The House bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Buchanan represents over 220,000 Social Security recipients in the nation's seventh-oldest congressional district.

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