Synopsis of Laws, Orders, and Regulations Requiring Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action

  1. The Fifth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
    Provides that no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
     
  2. Fourteenth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
    Prohibits states from denying any person the equal protection of the laws and from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

  3. Civil Rights Act of 1866
    All persons within the United States shall have the same right to make and enforce contracts free of racial discrimination.

  4. Civil Rights Act of 1871
    Every person who, under color of any statute, causes the deprivation of any rights secured by federal laws shall be liable to the person injured.

  5. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended in 1974
    Makes it unlawful to pay workers of one sex at a rate different from that paid the other sex for the same work.

  6. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
    Prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

  7. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
    (as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972). Title VII prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, in any term, condition or privilege of employment.

  8. Executive Order 11246 (as amended by Executive Order 11375) (1967) and Revised Order #4 (1970).
    This Order issued by the President in 1965, required Affirmative Action Programs by all Federal contractors and sub-contractors and requires that firms with contracts over $50,000 and 50 or more employees develop and implement written programs, which are monitored by an assigned Federal compliance agency.

  9. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended in 1978
    Makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees or job applicants on account of age when they are between the ages of 40 and 70.

  10. Title I, Civil Rights Act of 1968
    Criminal penalties for interference with a person's civil rights, including employment, are imposed by this law. The law applies to anyone who by force or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person because of race, color, religion, or national origin with respect to exercised civil rights, and to one who attempts such interference.

  11. State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972
    Requires non-discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, and religion in all programs and activities of state and local governments receiving funds under the Act.

  12. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
    This regulation states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

  13. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972
    Greatly strengthened the powers and expanded the jurisdiction of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in enforcement of this law.

  14. Veterans Assistance Act of 1972
    Requires affirmative action to employ and advance in employment disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era.

  15. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1978, Section 503 and 504
    Bars employment discrimination against handicapped persons in federally assisted programs and requires affirmative action for the handicapped.

  16. Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970, as amended in 1978
    Dictates that all aspects of employment be conducted in accord with merit principles and that no one be denied equality of opportunity in any phase of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national original, political affiliation or opinion, age, or handicap (except where age, sex, or handicap is a bona fide condition of employment.)

  17. Article 49B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, as amended in 1977
    Prohibits discrimination in all areas of employer/employee relationships on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, sex, age, marital status, or physical or mental handicap which is unrelated in nature and extent to the performance of the employment, and to that end to prohibit discrimination in employment by any person or employer.

  18. Section 12, Article 64A, of the Annotated Code of Maryland
    This act establishes under the auspices of the Secretary of Personnel an equal opportunity program to assure that State Merit System employees and applicants for State Merit System employees and applicants for State Merit System employment are provided equal opportunity on the basis of merit and fitness.

  19. State of Maryland Executive Order 01.01.1995.19 Code of Fair Employment Practices
    (Rescinds Executive Orders 01.01.1993.16 and 01.01.1980.16). This University recognizes the State's obligation to provide a work environment without discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, religious affiliation, belief or opinion, race, sex, sexual orientation, or any other non merit factor. A Code of Fair Practices was promulgated on December 9, 1970, by Executive Order 01.01.1970.15.

  20. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
    Requires employers to prove all employees hired after November 6, 1986, are legally authorized to work in the United States. IRCA also prohibits discrimination based on national origin or citizenship.

  21. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
    Title I prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment.

  22. Civil Rights Act of 1991
    Creates new remedies and other rights for persons discriminated against and counters recent Supreme Court decisions concerning equal employment opportunity. 

 

FSU, Office of AA/EEO - 1992