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Homeless now protected from employment and other
discrimination
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee recently signed into law
legislation entitled the "Homeless Bill of Rights."
Specifically, the new law protects individuals solely because of
their homeless status in a variety of ways. The most significant
protection, from an employer's perspective, is that the statute
effectively creates a new protected category for purposes of
employment discrimination. The statute provides for a right to be
free from discrimination in applying for or maintaining employment
due to the lack of a permanent mailing address or use of a shelter
or agency as a mailing address. The new law provides for a civil
remedy, which includes claims for injunctive relief, actual
damages, and reasonable attorneys' fees to a prevailing
plaintiff. Given the unfortunate continued prevalence of
homelessness, employers doing business in Rhode Island should be
aware of the law and take proactive steps to ensure compliance.
Such steps may include amending equal employment opportunity
policies, employment application statements, and, most
significantly, training human resources personnel and
hiring/staffing managers regarding the new law and its impact.
Rhode Island increases minimum wage
Governor Chafee also signed a new law increasing the current
minimum wage in Rhode Island. The new minimum wage of $7.75 per
hour goes into effect on January 1, 2013 and increases the minimum
wage by $.35 per hour from the existing minimum wage of $7.40,
which has been in place since 2007.
This article was published in the Massachusetts
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