[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 45 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Page 2359]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Proposed ``Ending Discrimination Against Parents Act of 
1999''

November 11, 1999

    I am pleased that last night Senators Dodd and Kennedy introduced 
the ``Ending Discrimination Against Parents Act of 1999.'' This landmark 
bill protects America's working parents from unfair treatment on the 
job. It builds on our Nation's longstanding commitment to equal 
opportunity. And it sends a clear message that parents striving to meet 
their responsibilities both at home and at the office should never be 
considered second-class workers.
    This bill would, for the first time, protect parents and those with 
parental responsibilities against job discrimination. It does not stop 
employers from making hiring and promotion decisions on the basis of 
qualifications or job performance, but it does ensure that workers are 
not discriminated against simply because they are parents or exercise 
parental responsibilities. It would, for example, bar employers from 
taking a parent off the ``fast track'' because of unsubstantiated 
concerns that parents cannot perform in demanding jobs. Similarly, it 
would not allow employers to prefer applicants without children over 
equally or better qualified working parents or to refuse to hire single 
parents.
    As more mothers enter the workforce and as more families rely on the 
earnings of single parents, these protections are increasingly 
important. We cannot afford to let working parents be held captive to 
baseless assumptions about their ability to work.
    Already, a number of States have enacted commonsense laws that 
prohibit or pave the way to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 
parental or familial status. I urge Congress to safeguard the interests 
of America's working families and give this legislation prompt and 
favorable consideration. Our workplaces should work for all Americans.