Category Archives: NH House

4-30-13 AFT-NH Legislative Update And Urgent Action Needed To Stop Or Amend HB142

  By New Hampshire Labor News | April 30, 2013 - 9:10 am | , , ,
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aft sqaure

The full Senate will be voting on HB 142 relative to teacher evaluation systems, which was amended by the Senate Education committee to read:

1 New Paragraph; School Boards; Duty to Provide Education. Amend RSA 189:1-a by inserting after paragraph II the following new paragraph:

III. A school board shall adopt, with the involvement of teachers and principals, a teacher evaluation system for use in the school district, consistent with RSA 189:14-a, I(b). In such adoption, a school board may consider any resources it deems reasonable and appropriate, including any resources that may be provided by the state department of education.
AFT-NH is in opposition to this bill as amended. It does include the involvement of teacher but it left out “Nothing in this paragraph shall supersede collective bargaining rights under RSA 273-A”. This is language that needs to be put back in; we have been working with several Senators to do just that. We need you help to make this happen so please take the action below.

With that being said we are asking that you contact Senator Stiles at 603-918-0553 and ask that she puts in or supports a floor amendment that adds this language back into the bill:

“Nothing in this paragraph shall supersede collective bargaining rights under RSA 273-A”.

FULL SENATE VOTES ON MAY 2ND

The full Senate will vote on HB 178: relative to public employer collective bargaining agreements. This bill requires the PELRB (Public Employee Labor Relations Board) to:

  • Post online training for collective bargaining.
  • Maintain a record how political subdivisions vote on collective bargaining agreements and provide the legislature with an annual report.

AFT-NH supports this amended bill and hopes that the Senate will pass it as well.

HB 187:.relative to deliberative sessions in towns that have adopted official ballot voting. This bill was submitted by retired AFT-NH member Marjorie Porter. This bill provides that the dollar amount agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement between a public employer and an employee organization shall not be modified by the legislative body of the public employer and that amount is what the voters should vote on.

AFT-NH supports this bill; we believe that what is negotiated in good faith should go before the voters for a vote and not be sidelined by a few. We hope that the Senate will pass it as well.

HEARINGS THIS PAST WEEK

The House Education committee held a hearing on SB 82. This bill establishes a commission for the purpose of identifying strategies for developing and implementing a competency-based public education. AFT-NH is staying neutral on this bill. We understand that moving to a competency-based system will take much time and consideration when developing this system. AFT-NH hopes that the final report will include recommendations for adequate time and staff development for the educators charged with implementing this new system.

If you are currently moving forward in implementing a competency-based system and you have concerns, suggestions and recommendations please send them to LHainey@aft-nh.org. This way we can makes sure they are passed along.

The House Labor committee held a hearing on SB 100: AN ACT authorizing electronic payment of payroll. This bill will affect all public employees in New Hampshire. This bill will do the following:

  • Deletes the requirement that an employer who pays wages by electronic fund transfer offer employees the option of being paid by check.
  • Permits an employer to pay wages with a payroll card after offering employees the option of being paid by direct deposit.

AFT-NH is opposed to this bill.  We understand that many employees do receive their paycheck by direct deposit but there are many who prefer the paper check and they should still have this option. It might be different if they were proposing the cost savings be shared with the employee.

The House Labor committee will be holding a work session on HB 100 on Tuesday, April 30th.

If you have any questions/concerns please email at lhainey@aft-nh.org

In Solidarity,
Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

UPCOMING HEARINGS FOR NEXT WEEK
Bold are AFT Priorities.
TUESDAY, APRIL 30

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. Executive session on SB 134-FN, relative to the Division of Higher Education and the Higher Education commission,
SB 162-FN, repealing the student tuition guaranty fund and making provisions for the disbursement of remaining funds, and relative to the membership of the Higher Education commission.
11:00 a.m. Or immediately following the executive session, subcommittee work session on retained HB474, relative to eligibility for in-state tuition rates at the University System of New Hampshire.

LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
1:00 p.m. Full committee work session on SB 100, authorizing electronic payment of payroll.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
9:00 a.m. Subcommittee work session on SB 48, relative to school performance and accountability.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION, Room 100, SH
9:40 a.m. HB 283, establishing a study committee to review the hearing officer’s report with regard to the New Hampshire Local Government Center and to study potential changes to RSA 5-B.

PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, Room 102, LOB
9:15 a.m. HB 269-L, authorizing a city or town to conduct a special meeting necessitated by changes in adequate education funding.

THURSDAY, MAY 2

10:00 A.M. SENATE IN SESSION

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. Subcommittee work session on retained HB 435-FN, relative to funding for chartered public school pupils,
HB 243, relative to the board of trustees of a chartered public school,
HB 424-FN, relative to review of chartered public school applications by the state board of education.

FRIDAY, MAY 3

FINANCE, Room 103, SH
AGENCY PRESENTATIONS ON THE BUDGET AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE
1:00 p.m. Department of Education

THURSDAY, MAY 9

EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
9:00 a.m. Subcommittee work session on SB 48, relative to school performance and accountability.

FINANCE, Representatives’ Hall, SH
3:00 p.m. − 5:00 p.m. HB 1-A, making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2015.

HB 2-FN-A-L, relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures.

6:00 p.m. − 8:00 p.m. HB 1-A, making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2015.
HB 2-FN-A-L, relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures.

Please note: The above Finance hearing will be streamed live via the internet at the following web address: mms://gencourt.state.nh.us/wmtencoder/housemedia.wmv

At Legislator Luncheon, NH Labor Pushes For ‘Job Creating’ Casino Bill

  By New Hampshire Labor News | April 24, 2013 - 5:53 pm | , , ,
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Credit Joe Casey
Credit Joe Casey

Credit Joe Casey

Organized labor united in support of “job creating” bill, makes case for expanded gaming at legislative luncheon

Nearly 300 State Representatives packed the State House Cafeteria today for a legislative luncheon in support of SB152, the bill to create jobs and state revenue by licensing a casino in New Hampshire. The luncheon was sponsored by the New Hampshire labor community, and included presentations from Senator Donna Soucy, NEA President Scott McGilvray, SEA representative Jay Ward, Building Trades President and IBEW 490 Business Manager Joe Casey, Representative Ed Butler, and Matthew Landry of Strategic Market Advisors.

NH Building and Construction Trades Council President Joe Casey issued the following statement:

“The turnout today was incredible, even though we were forced to change the venue at the last minute. It’s clear that support for SB152 is building in the House. The Representatives who attended today understand that SB152 will create thousands of jobs and create a critical revenue stream to fund our state’s priorities.

The New Hampshire labor community is united in support of this bill, and the luncheon today was a great opportunity to showcase that. I was proud to stand alongside Scott McGilvray and Jay Ward, and to speak to the importance of this bill to our memberships. For our part, the construction industry needs our legislators to support SB152 in order to create more than $425 million in private investment that will create thousands of jobs. Estimates show SB152 will create 3,165 on-site construction jobs, 567 indirect construction jobs, another 1,087 jobs through increased economic activity due to construction, and 1,949 full time ongoing jobs in operating the casino. Our legislators have an opportunity to stand with New Hampshire’s working men and women by passing SB152, and the great showing we had at the luncheon today shows that many of them are ready to do that.

The anti-gaming lobby tried every dirty trick in the book to try and stop this luncheon from happening – even stooping to bullying St. Paul’s church into canceling it. Their support is slipping every day, and they’re desperate to stop us from being heard. But we will not be intimidated, and we will make sure there is a full, open, and honest debate on this issue in spite of their dirty tactics. We expect to see more of their big money misinformation campaign in the coming weeks, but the people of New Hampshire support this proposal, and momentum is clearly building among our legislators. No amount of dirty tricks and robo calls from the anti-casino lobby can stop that. ”

Sponsors of today’s event include:

NH Building and Construction Trades Council
IBEW 104
IBEW 490
IBEW 2320
Granite State Teamsters
Ironworkers Local 7
NEA NH
NH Troopers Association
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 131
Professional Fire Fighters of NH
State Employees Association

Rep. Stella Tremblay An Embarrassment To New Hampshire And To All Of New England

  By Granite State Progress | April 23, 2013 - 10:09 pm | , ,
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NH Rep. Tremblay to Glenn Beck - Boston Marathon Inside Job

The past week has been very hard on many of us here in New Hampshire and throughout New England.  The Boston Marathon is a significant event for many Granite Staters.  Some run the marathon, some go to watch, others enjoy the day off from work.  For the hard-working Boston Police, Fire and EMS Departments, this week has been one that they will never forget.

Over the last week, thousands have showed their support for the hard work of all the Boston area first responders.  Even before the bombing, hundreds of Boston area first responders were working on Patriots Day as part of the annual Boston Marathon.  As the first bomb went off, police and firefighters (and many citizens) ran into the blast area to help the wounded.

Those first responders worked from 1:00 am on Friday morning – when the hunt for the two bombers erupted in a fierce firefight – through until late in the evening when the younger brother was eventually captured in Watertown.

The dedication of these public employees has been commended over the past week with many Facebook and Twitter images with the tag #BostonStrong.

This is what disturbs me: that after all the hard work and dedication from the public employees of all the local police departments, the FBI and Homeland Security, one New Hampshire State Rep sends out a Facebook post that the Boston bombing was a Government Black Op terrorist attack.

NH Rep. Tremblay to Glenn Beck - Boston Marathon Inside Job

 

Zandra Rice-Hawkins from Granite State Progress summed up the bucket full of crazy that is Rep. Tremblay:

“Rep. Tremblay continues to embarrass herself and her constituents with her extreme beliefs. Her behavior is unbecoming of an elected official in New Hampshire, and should be quickly condemned by her colleagues and party leadership. Rep. Tremblay has a long history of disturbing statements and we know from the past that her extreme ideologies guide her behavior in the State House.”

“Rep. Tremblay is not alone among conservatives in New Hampshire who are using these tragedies to create conspiracy theories or score political points. The blog Granite Grok recently posted a message about the Boston Marathon bombing and the West, Texas incident encouraging readers to use the phrase ‘Obomba’. Republican political leaders who continue to participate in GraniteGrok activities despite these reprehensible remarks should state publicly why they do so.”

With actions like this from our state reps, I am embarrassed to say that I am from New Hampshire.  It seems that every week the NH Republican Party is in the national news and not in a good way.

Then I think back to the proud Boston public employees who were given a standing ovation by the citizens of Watertown after a 16-hour lockdown after they caught Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. I also think of how quickly all of the Granite State came together to support our brothers and sisters to the south.  Then I am filled with a great sense of togetherness.  All I can say is, thank God Rep Stella Tremblay is not my rep.

 

 

Hassan Applauds House For Passing FY 14/15 Budget, However There Is Still Work To Do

  By New Hampshire Labor News | April 3, 2013 - 5:33 pm | , , ,
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Maggie Hassan

CONCORD – Governor Maggie Hassan released the following statement today on passage by the House of Representatives of their FY 14/15 budget:

“Today’s passage of the House budget plan is another step forward in the legislature’s budget process. I appreciate the hard work by members of the House to develop their plan, and in many cases their funding priorities align with those in our balanced budget proposal, especially in taking steps to address our strained mental health system and to restore investments in New Hampshire’s community colleges.

“However, significant work remains in order to finalize a responsible, balanced budget that reinvests in the priorities needed for job creation and innovative economic growth. The House budget as it stands falls short of our balanced budget proposal in key areas that are critical for strengthening our economy and improving the health and well-being of our people.

“The cuts made to our restoration of university system funding put at risk the proposed tuition freeze at our public universities, making it more difficult for our young people to afford a higher education in New Hampshire.

“A top priority of our budget proposal was to begin to reverse the last legislature’s tax increase on hospitals, which is straining their operations and hindering our ability to move forward with strengthening our health care system. Unfortunately, the House budget goes in the opposite direction, relying more heavily on hospital taxes to pay for the general fund.

“I also have concerns that the back-of-the-budget cuts to Health and Human Services, combined with optimistic caseload levels, will force cuts to critical services. And cuts to school building aid will hurt the ability of our local school districts to provide the educational facilities our children need.

“The House budget recognizes that a number of these changes from our budget proposal are problematic, which is why it includes language calling for restoration of these funds if SB 152 is passed. We can address the challenges of the House budget by moving forward with a plan to license one high-end, highly regulated casino that will help us invest in our priorities. I look forward to continuing the dialogue with members of the House as they consider SB 152, and to working with both chambers to ensure that the next budget responsibly lays the foundation to build a stronger, more innovative New Hampshire.”

NH House Passes Gas Tax Increase To Fund Infrastructure Repairs (And Create New Jobs)

  By Matt Murray | March 27, 2013 - 9:28 pm | ,
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NH House

NH House

The NH House has done their part, now it is up to the NH Senate.  

Today the NH House passed HB 617 a bill to increase the gas tax by 12 cents with all of the increase in funding to be used to fix New Hampshire’s roads and bridges.  The tax will be phased in starting with a four cent increase in July 2014.  Then continues with a four cent increase for the next three years.

The House Ways and Means Vice Chair Rep. Patty Lovejoy spoke in support of the bill:

“New Hampshire’s highway system is our economic lifeblood; supporting commerce, tourism and our everyday lives. A good infrastructure is imperative for NH to compete with other states for new business and new jobs.”

This is huge step for the NH Legislature who have spent much of the last two years attacking workers and taking away the rights of women and minorities.  This increase is an example that the House really cares about the people of New Hampshire.

Currently New Hampshire has 140 State Red Listed Bridges and several hundred red listed municipal bridges. More than 1600 miles of state roads are rated in Poor condition, roughly one­-third of our state roads. The increase in construction would lead to hundreds of additional construction jobs over the next several years.

The bill’s primary  sponsor Rep. David Campbell of Nashua also spoke on this bill:

“The people want and expect us to solve problems facing our state…We were elected to make our state a better place by having the wisdom to identify the problems, the tenacity to work together to find the solutions and the political will to enact them.”

For many states these much needed repairs have sat dormant while austerity was being pushed through legislatures.  This is a good jobs bill, and one of the first that I have seen in NH in a while.

This is a problem and a solution that has been staring us in the face for years.  The gas tax (road tax) has not been increased since 1991.  I urge the Senate to pass this bill immediately so we can begin working on repair our broken roads and bridges as soon as possible.

AFT-NH Puts Out Call For NH Retiree’s To Take Action To Restore COLA’s For NH Retirees

  By New Hampshire Labor News | February 27, 2013 - 4:06 pm | , , ,
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aft sqaure

CALLING ALL RETIREES OR SOON TO BE RETIREES
IT’S TIME FOR ACTION!

The New Hampshire House is hosting public meetings on Governor Hassan’s proposed budget, and we must take this opportunity to make our case publicly and vocally for the restoration of Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for New Hampshire retirees.

As it stands today, no retiree will ever receive a Cost of Living Adjustment unless the NH Legislature decides to put one into their biannual budget. Prior to 2011, COLAs were paid through the Special Account. This account held excess earnings in order to pay for COLAs from 1-5%.  Since 2008, all of the money in the special account has been taken out to help employers keep their costs down.

Because the legislature has taken away the funding mechanism and funding for your Cost of Living Adjustments, it is now your time to demand they give you what you earned each and every day you were on the job.

We are requesting that every one of you turn out on Thursday, March 7, at Representatives Hall in the State House in Concord. The budget hearing runs from 4pm to 7pm.

Turnout is key. Our goal is to have as many members – both active and retired – as possible to project a unified voice that COLAs are necessary, deserved, and overdue. This event will not succeed without everyone’s support.

While there is a Court case making its way through the system to bring back your COLA, we do not have an answer at this time. Retirees have gone years without a COLA. It needs to stop today!

Please plan to arrive with plenty of advanced time. Other community members will be turning out, and we want to guarantee there are seats for you.

We will be providing brief talking points for you to use for your public testimony, and encourage you to tell your personal stories about how the lack of a COLA has personally affected you and your family.

Once again, this event cannot succeed without your help. This is a critical opportunity for your voice to be heard.

If you have any questions please email me at lhainey@aft-nh.org.

In Solidarity
Laura Hainey
AFT-NH President

That’s It, REP ITSE Has To Go For Jeopardizing The Safety Of Our Children (HB 609)

  By Matt Murray | February 23, 2013 - 1:00 pm | ,
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Gun

I am outraged at State Rep Dan Itse and his new bill HB 609 that would allow teachers to carry loaded weapons at schools. Rep Itse, told AP reporter Norma Love that he submitted this legislation in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy.

This idea just sickens me! The idea that we should be encouraging our teachers to openly carry loaded weapons in our school. The place where we are trying our best to keep guns away from! Scott McGilvray, President of the NH chapter of the National Education Association said,

“It is both astounding and disturbing that following the recent tragedies, politicians and pundits who have spent little if any time in public schools have taken to the airwaves and to the State House floors to call for arming our teachers. (2)”

“As the rest of the country debates how to keep guns out of schools. In New Hampshire, we are actually proposing bringing more guns in. Guns have no place in our schools.”

This is asking for problems. Rep Itse is asking for more guns in our schools. This idea of more guns in our schools appalls me and I have not hidden that fact (see also The Last Thing We Need Is MORE Guns In Our Schools And State Houses). More guns in our schools mean a higher possibility of a child being shot accidentally. Dean Michener of the New Hampshire School Boards Association said, “the chances an armed teacher will hit a child are high.” This is an unacceptable risk to on our most prized possessions.

Michener also made reference to the study from New York where police officers involved in a ‘fire fight’ have an accuracy rating of only 18%. These are trained police officers who have mandatory training and marksmanship testing. Even with all of this testing and training, when an officer is being shot at, their accuracy rating drops to 18%. This alone is enough to say that a teacher should not be carrying a gun into any school. Teachers would not be required to have any training, any testing, or regulated requirements before they carry their loaded weapons into our schools. All a teacher would need is a licesene to carry a concealed weapon under Rep Itse’s proposed bill.

Rep Itse is trying to say that teachers need guns to protect themselves in the event of an armed gunman going through the school. To show you how crazy Itse is he said, “They (teachers) wouldn’t be hiding under their desks looking for a pair of scissors.” I assume that this is to stop the armed gunman. I guess Rep Itse did not read any of the stories of what educators at Sandy Hook did to protect the children all without guns, or scissors.

Why is Rep Itse not working to find ways to stop these events from happening. Instead he is wasting time creating laws that will only make tragedies in our school worse when they happen.

I am glad to see that Governor Hassan will not stand for this type of legislation. “The governor believes we must always be working to improve the safety of our schools and communities, but encouraging weapons in the classroom would put New Hampshire’s children at risk of harm,” said Marc Goldberg, Hassan’s press secretary.

I hope the voters in Fremont realize that this is the guy they voted in. The guy who wants to revive the NH Militia and put armed teachers in our schools. Hopefully the good people of Fremont will see what Rep Itse is doing in Concord and reject his extremist view for New Hampshire. Unfortunately we have to wait another year and a half till we can remove Rep Itse, however I will not forget this.

 

Voucher Repeal (HB 370) Passes NH House. An ANHPE Update From Bill Duncan

  By Advancing New Hampshire Public Education | February 21, 2013 - 1:08 pm | ,
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Voucher tax credit

Repeal The New Hampshire House passed HB 370, repeal of the voucher tax credit, yesterday by a vote of 188-151.  It was almost a party-line vote, with a few switches on each side and a lot of absentees.  See how your representative voted here.  The schedule from here is not set.  It could go to the Senate as late as March 28th.  When it get’s there, it will go to the Senate Health, Education and Human Services Committee, Chaired by Sen. Nancy Stiles (R, Hampton).  The committee will hold a public hearing at some point in April and then decide what to recommend.  Voucher repeal is also part of the governor’s budget, so that could affect the committee’s action.

Court Case The hearing (it is called a hearing, but it is really the trial) will be at 11:00 AM at the Strafford County Courthouse on April 26.  The whole trial will be on this one day and Judge Lewis will issue his opinion at some point after that.   There is no need for a show of numbers here, but the trial will probably last only several hours so it would be easy to attend if you are interested.  Here is our court challenge.  And here is a mapshowing the courthouse location.

There’s more about voucher repeal here.

Charter Schools

NHPR’s The Exchange broadcast today was on charter schools.  The program was notable for the consensus expressed in support of charter schools done “the New Hampshire way,” as Scott McGilvray, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire, put it, The New Hampshire way, in this context, was seen as establishing charters that serve specific needs supplementing what the traditional public schools already do.  Governor Hassan had supported that idea in her budget address, saying that the she would give the New Hampshire Board of Education authority to “prioritize new charter school approval to underserved communities.”  Sen. Stiles, House Education Committee Chair, Rep. Mary Gile, Board of Education Chair Tom Raffio and NEA NH President McGilvray all sounded supportive of the governor’s approach but also felt that this was a good juncture at which to step back, review charter and public school performance and clarify state charter school policy.

There is more about charters here.

Bill

The Professional Firefighters Of New Hampshire Praise Legislators For Voting Down ‘Right To Work’ Bill

  By New Hampshire Labor News | February 13, 2013 - 4:58 pm | ,
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Professional Firefighters of NH President Dave Lang, and IAFF General President Schaitberger applaud legislators for voting down the 'Right to Work' bill. (via PFFNH Facebook)
Professional Firefighters of NH President Dave Lang, and IAFF General President Schaitberger applaud legislators for voting down the 'Right to Work' bill. (via PFFNH Facebook)

Professional Firefighters of NH President Dave Lang, and IAFF General President Schaitberger applaud legislators for voting down the ‘Right to Work’ bill. (via PFFNH Facebook)

New Hampshire House of Representatives Votes Down ‘Right-to-Work’ Bill 

H.B. 323 would have dealt a blow to collective bargaining in the Granite State

In a major victory for public employees, the New Hampshire House of Representatives today voted down a bill that would have crippled collective bargaining and silenced the voices of workers across the state.

H.B. 323, which would have prohibited employers and labor organizations from including fees for non-union members in collective bargaining agreements, was defeated by a vote of 212-141.

“In November, the citizens of New Hampshire voted in a legislature more focused on issues like jobs and the economy, rather than out-of-state interests,” said David Lang, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire. “It is clear from today’s vote that ‘Right- to- Work’ is still not wanted or needed in New Hampshire. This has always been an unnecessary distraction, and I’m pleased that today the bill was killed so we can move on to the issues that matter to New Hampshire.”

The defeat of H.B. 323 in the New Hampshire General Court today marks a key turning point in the battle over the rights of public employees in the Granite State. In 2010, the rise of the Tea Party movement helped Republicans take control of both the House and the Senate. But in November 2012, amid rising public discontent with anti-labor politics, Democrats regained control of the House and brought the Senate closer to balance.

“I want to congratulate New Hampshire lawmakers today for listening to the people and defending the rights of all of the state’s hard working public employees,” said Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, who was on hand for the vote. “These so called ‘right-to-work’ bills are cropping up in legislatures all over the country, but the name hides the truth because they are designed to take away the rights of workers, not protect them.”

The PFFNH, headquartered in Concord, NH represents more than 2,000 active and retired fire fighters and paramedics.  More information is available at www.pffnh.org

Applicants Should Be Hired Based On Merit, Not Current Employment Status

  By Matt Murray | February 10, 2013 - 11:54 am | ,
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Save our jobs (AFSCME)

Unemployment has been a problem throughout the United States for the last four to five years.  People some times forget that unemployment means that people do not have a jobs.  Short term unemployment can happen for many reasons, however with millions of unemployed workers on the streets a new trend has emerged.

Some employers have begun to discriminate against workers who are currently unemployed.  It is not that they do not have the qualifications need to work in the job they applied for, it is that they currently have no job to speak of.   Employers have begun telling applicants that they are only looking for people who are currently employed.

People do not want to talk about discrimination though it happens all the time.  Now people are being disseminated against because some company owner wanted to increase his profit margin and decided to outsource those jobs?

The New Hampshire AFL-CIO is working with legislators to pass HB 0350: “This bill prohibits hiring discrimination by employers based upon an individual’s unemployment status.”

This law is a very proactive way to help put an end to this type of discrimination.  The best part of this bill is section IV:

“No employer or employment agency shall print or circulate or cause to be printed or circulated any statement, advertisement, or publication, or use any form of application for employment or make any inquiry in connection with prospective employment, which expresses directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to unemployment status, or any intent to make any such limitation, specification, or discrimination, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification.”

No longer can an employment agency or any employer post a job listing that requires applicants to be currently employed.

All workers, currently employed or unemployed deserve the chance at a new job.  Applicants deserved to be evaluated on the merits of the experience not their current employment.