Ban on Weight Discrimination (H 7883)

We supported this bill which would make it illegal for employers and public accommodations to discriminate against individuals based on their weight. Three decades ago, our organization handled one of the first lawsuits in the country to address the issue of weight discrimination in employment on behalf of an individual whom the state refused to rehire, notwithstanding her past unblemished work at the agency, based solely on her obesity. The courts agreed and issued precedent-setting rulings barring discrimination on this arbitrary basis of appearance based on federal law. Statutorily including such a ban at the state level would beneficially place  both employers and employees on notice of the right to be free from such discrimination. This bill died in committee.