In February, this blog reported the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was looking into the issue of unemployment discrimination. Now the issue has been raised in Congress. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is a co-sponsor of a bill recently introduced in the Senate called the Fair Employment Act of 2011. Senator Brown is joined by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who introduced the measure.

The bill is intended to make it illegal for employers and employment agencies to discriminate against the unemployed in their hiring practices. Workplace discrimination lawyers and employment law attorneys across the nation will be watching as the measure is debated in Congress. A similar bill has been introduced in the House. Unemployment discrimination gained wide notice after a report uncovered the persistent practice of employers and employment agencies excluding potential job applicants based upon their employment status.

The National Employment Law Project issued that report. In today's economy, with unemployment sitting at roughly 9.2 percent and underemployment showing higher numbers, unemployment discrimination is counterproductive to growing the nation's economy.

Ohio Senator Brown says "The best way to get our economy back on track is also the best way to reduce our deficit: putting people back to work. There are millions of Americans who would rather be paying taxes than collecting unemployment insurance. Americans who work hard and play by the rules - but lose a job through no fault of their own - deserve a fair chance at the next one."

Source: Connecticut Plus, "Legislation outlawing discriminatory hiring practices introduced," August 3, 2011