Bill > H0873

This bill, titled "Employment of Veterans," creates a new section in Florida Statutes, 295.188, to allow private employers to voluntarily offer hiring and promotion preferences to certain individuals. Specifically, private employers can choose to give preference to honorably discharged veterans, the spouse of a veteran with a service-connected disability, the unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability, or the unremarried widow or widower of a service member who died in the line of duty under combat-related conditions. The bill clarifies that these preferences, when applied uniformly, will not be considered violations of any state or local equal employment opportunity laws, meaning employers are not required to offer these preferences but are permitted to do so if they choose.