Protecting Older Americans Act of 2025

This bill lets people 40 and older who say they faced age discrimination choose to take their case to court instead of being pushed into forced arbitration. It also blocks “predispute” rules that stop people from joining together in a class or group case for age bias. These protections apply to claims under federal, state, Tribal, or local law. A judge—not an arbitrator—decides if these protections apply in a case, and that decision is made under federal law .

In short, if you’re 40 or older and believe you were treated unfairly because of your age—like being fired, not hired, paid less, harassed, or punished for speaking up—you can choose court and keep the option to join with others, even if you signed something before the dispute that said otherwise .

• Who is affected: People age 40+ with age discrimination claims; employers and organizations facing those claims .
• What changes: Predispute arbitration agreements and predispute joint-action waivers are not valid if the person alleging age discrimination opts out; courts decide if this rule applies .
• Where it applies: Cases under federal, state, Tribal, or local law .