Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employment Discrimination topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee releases bill banning height and weight discrimination
Summary
Senate Bill 1631 would prohibit discrimination based on height or weight in employment and public accommodation, with bona fide‑occupational‑qualification and safety exceptions; supporters say it closes longstanding loopholes and will not trigger a litigation flood.
Senate Bill 1631, introduced in the New Jersey Senate Labor Committee on the panel’s first 2026 meeting, would ban discrimination based on a person’s height or weight in employment and public accommodations while providing exceptions for bona fide occupational qualifications and safety reasons. Alan Shore of the National Employment Lawyers Association testified in favor, calling the measure “long overdue” and arguing it will curb employers who use height or weight as proxies for an employer’s subjective vision of attractiveness.
Shore said the change is unlikely to generate a wave of lawsuits, citing Michigan’s decade‑long experience and a low number of litigation filings. “This bill will not spawn a flood of litigation,” he said. Committee members asked about the bill’s scope and enforcement; Shore pointed to the bill’s bona fide occupational qualification standard as a guardrail for employers with legitimate safety or job‑specific requirements. On a recorded motion, the committee voted to release SB1631 from committee to the next stage.
