Starting October 1, 2021, Connecticut's "An Act Deterring Age Discrimination in Employment Applications" (S.B. 56 / PA 21-69) went into effect, prohibiting employers with three or more employees from requesting or requiring certain information on initial employment applications.
What Information Is Now Prohibited?
On an initial employment application, employers may no longer request or require:
- Age
- Date of Birth
- Dates of attendance at a current or previous educational institution
- Date of graduation from an educational institution
Legal Exceptions
Requests for the above information are still permitted when:
- The employer has a bona fide occupational qualification or need for the information; or
- The employer must comply with a state or federal law provision that requires the information.
What Employers Should Do
Employers should take the following steps to ensure compliance:
- Consult legal counsel regarding whether a bona fide occupational qualification or legal compliance requirement applies.
- Review and edit initial application forms to remove prohibited information fields.
- Understand that age-related information can still be requested at later stages of the hiring process.
- Separate initial application forms from background check authorization forms where no exception applies.
Public Education Mandate
The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities is required to develop courses of instruction and conduct ongoing public education efforts to inform employers, employees, employment agencies, and job seekers about their rights and responsibilities under this law.
Questions About Compliant Screening?
We stay current on Connecticut employment laws so your background check process stays compliant. Contact us with any questions.