Villa supports legislation to avert age discrimination in hiring process

State Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, is supporting legislation that would prohibit employers from asking college graduate date from the applicants. The measure will help to stop age discrimination in the hiring process. The college graduate date of the applicants in being asked by the employers on their application forms or during the initial interview.

Villa said that the measure would help the qualified applicants to be screened on the base of their capabilities, experience, suitability, and competence. According to Villa, the age of an applicant is not a contributing factor in the hiring process. Villa added, “By banning employers from asking applicants their age or their college graduation data, we help prevent age discrimination in the hiring process.”

Villa has always supported workers as she has a social background. Villa has been motivated by her social background. She said that she was backing House Bill 5159. House Bill 5159 will consider it a civil rights violation if an employer will ask an applicant about his/her age or graduation date. After the passage of the bill, the employers will be prohibited from asking age-related questions throughout the hiring process.

According to Villa, she is a supporter of giving opportunities to the applicants of varying ages. She said that it was extremely wrong to discourage a candidate for an open job position on the base of his/her age. She also criticized the use of age as a deciding factor even at the beginning of the interview process.

Villa hoped that House Bill 5159 would make the communities of Illinois stronger. She said that the measure would ensure equity in Illinois. If all of the Illinoisans will get equal opportunities then the state will become stronger, according to her. Villa said, “This legislation is one step forward in making our state and communities stronger.”