What is Federal Employment Law?

Federal employment law is the body of laws passed by Congress and signed into law by the President that cover a variety of employment issues throughout the United States, for employers who are covered under the size qualifications of the various laws. Some of the federal employment laws are:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;

• Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination;

• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government;

• Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), which prohibits employment discrimination based on genetic information about an applicant, employee, or former employee;

• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), which prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments; and

• the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.