Across the United States, state and municipal governments are increasingly passing anti-discrimination laws that extend protections beyond federal requirements, reshaping the legal landscape for workers and employers alike.
Twenty-four states and Washington D.C. now enforce anti-discrimination laws that protect a broader range of personal traits than federal law requires, and the 2026 legislative session is pushing that number higher.
As those laws evolve, they are broadening how discrimination is defined and giving workers, in many jurisdictions, access to legal remedies that do not exist under federal law.
For many American workers, the protections available on the job increasingly depend not only on national standards but on where they live and work.
Phillips & Associates examines how state and municipal anti-discrimination laws are expanding beyond federal requirements and what those changes mean for workers and employers.
The legal foundation for workplace anti-discrimination in the United States begins at the federal level. Three laws form the core of that framework. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 extends those protections to workers with physical or mental disabilities, requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations. And the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967...
By Victor Ahiuma-Young The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has introduced stricter advertising rules for Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, warning operators against false claims, misleading ...