This bill updates job discrimination and retaliation rules so workers don’t have to prove a protected trait was the only reason for a bad decision. It says a claim is established if age, disability, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected activity was a motivating reason—even if other reasons also played a role, under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII, and the Americans with Disabilities Act . It also makes related updates to the Rehabilitation Act and confirms these protections cover federal employees .

If a worker proves discrimination was a motivating factor but the employer shows it would have made the same choice anyway, a court can order the employer to stop the practice and pay certain legal costs, but it cannot award money damages or require hiring, promotion, or reinstatement under these provisions . The bill also clarifies what it means to “demonstrate” a claim in these laws . These changes apply to all claims pending on or after the date it becomes law.

Key points

• Who is affected: Workers and job applicants, including federal employees, under existing age, disability, and civil rights job laws .
• What changes: A claim can be proven if a protected reason was a motivating factor; remedies are limited if the employer would have made the same decision anyway; terms are clarified for how to show proof .
• When: Applies to claims pending on or after enactment.