On May 10, 2016, Governor Hogan enacted the Hiring and Promotion Preferences- Veterans and Their Spouses bill.  The law authorizes employers to grant a preference in hiring and promotion to eligible veterans without violating State or local equal employment opportunity laws.

The law is a strong signal to employers, who are often wary of violating employment discrimination laws.  The labor and employment law authorizes employers to grant a preference in hiring and promotion to eligible veterans, as well as spouses of eligible veterans who have service-connected disabilities, and surviving spouses of deceased eligible veterans. The Law defines an “eligible veteran” as a veteran of any branch of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard and the military reserves, who has received an honorable discharge or a certificate of satisfactory completion of military service.

Thatcher Zavaro & Mani frequently advises employers in the hiring process, and provides training and resources for employers to improve employment practices.  To learn more about the scope of our advisory, training and investigative services for employers, contact an experienced employment lawyer at Thatcher Zavaro & Mani in Greenbelt, Maryland. Call us at 301-850-1246.