The State Senate of Pennsylvania, after a stormy controversy, passed a “watered-down” Fair Employment Practices Bill by a vote of 44 to 5. A much stronger version of the bill had passed the State House of Representatives five months ago, but Republican members of the Senate insisted on amendments before they would vote for the bill.
In its original form, the measure called for the banning of discrimination in employment because of race, color, or national origin. This in itself was unacceptable to Republican members of the Senate Committee, who insisted that they would only pass the measure if an “age clause” were inserted.
Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Legislature fought to keep out any provisions which would hinder the effectiveness of the measure, but finally yielded to pressure rather than see the FEPC bill die completely. As it stands now, in addition to provisions for race, color or national origin, the bill provides that workers between the ages of 40 and 62 are not to be discriminated against.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
