Governor Christie Vetoes NJ Wage History Legislation
August 17, 2017 | by Alex LeeAt least for the near future, New Jersey will not be joining New York City and other jurisdictions in enacting a wage history ban. On July 21, 2017, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed Assembly Bills 3480 and 4119, which sought to amend the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination to prohibit employers from requesting salary history information from prospective employees.
In vetoing the bill, Governor Christie stated that although he supports efforts to end wage discrimination, he could not sign based on his concerns that the law would encompass innocuous conduct without discriminatory intent.
As previously discussed in this blog, this likely will not be the last we hear of this legislation. Notably, the bill was quickly passed with broad support in the Democrat-controlled State Senate and Assembly. With the upcoming gubernatorial election this November, the bill likely will be reintroduced following the election. Should a Democrat be elected governor, this legislation or another law in similar form could ultimately be enacted.
We will continue to monitor for updates on the status of this legislation.