North Carolina § 126-16 - Equal opportunity for employment and compensation by State departments and agencies and local political subdivisions.

§ 126-16. Equal opportunity for employment and compensation by State departments and agencies and local political subdivisions.

All State agencies, departments, and institutions and all local political subdivisions of North Carolina shall give equal opportunity for employment and compensation, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or genetic information to all persons otherwise qualified. History (1971, c. 823; 1975, c. 158; 1977, c. 866, s. 7; 1979, c. 862, s. 3; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1116, s. 111; 1985, c. 571, s. 2; 1991, c. 65, s. 6; 2013-382, s. 7.1.) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2013-382, s. 7.1, effective August 21, 2013, rewrote the section, which formerly read "All State departments and agencies and all local political subdivisions of North Carolina shall give equal opportunity for employment and compensation, without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, or handicapping condition as defined in G.S. 168A-3 to all persons otherwise qualified, except where specific age, sex or physical requirements constitute bona fide occupational qualifications necessary to proper and efficient administration. This section with respect to equal opportunity as to age shall be limited to individuals who are at least 40 years of age." Legal Periodicals. - For note, "'Hair' Today, Gone Tomorrow: How Immutable Traits May Become the New Face of Discrimination as Interpreted in Equal Employment Opportunity Comm'n v. Catastrophe Mgmt. Sols.," see 39 N.C. Cent. L. Rev. 166 (2017).