PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona legislator is introducing a bill to stop discrimination against unemployed workers.
Democratic state Rep. Ruben Gallego of Phoenix says the bill would add "long-term unemployment status" to the list of factors that employers are prohibited from considering.
Gallego says discrimination against the long-term unemployed is a "vicious cycle," and those families risk losing unemployment insurance.
Workers who have been out of a job for at least 27 weeks are considered to have long-term unemployment.
State law currently prohibits hiring discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or on the basis of disability.