AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST VETERANS IN EMPLOYMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 4 of chapter 151B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection 1C the following subsection:-
1D. For an employer, an employment agency, the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions, by itself or its agents, to deny initial employment, reemployment, retention in employment, promotion or any benefit of employment to a person who is a member of, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform, service in a uniformed military service of the United States, including the National Guard, on the basis of that membership, application or obligation.
SECTION 2. Chapter 115 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2A the following section:-
Section 2B. There shall be a commission on veterans employment opportunities that shall investigate whether veterans are subjected to employment discrimination on the basis of their status as veterans. The commission shall report its findings and recommendation annually on March 1 to the secretary of veterans affairs. The commission shall consist of 5 persons as follows: the secretary of veterans affairs or his designee, the secretary of economic development or his designee, a member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, a member appointed by the president of the senate and a veteran appointed by the Governor.