CDE CDE Legal Frameworks & Policy Development 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin for employers with 15 or more employees?
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Correct answer)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963
Correct answer: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the cornerstone federal law prohibiting employment discrimination on five protected bases.
Question 2: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what is an employer required to provide to a qualified individual with a disability?
- A private office at no cost
- Reasonable accommodation unless it causes undue hardship to the employer (Correct answer)
- Full medical coverage for all disability-related expenses
- A reduced workload with no change in compensation
Correct answer: Reasonable accommodation unless it causes undue hardship to the employer
The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations that enable qualified individuals to perform essential job functions, unless doing so creates undue hardship.
Question 3: What does the Equal Pay Act of 1963 require?
- That all employees in the same company receive identical pay
- That men and women performing substantially equal work in the same establishment receive equal pay (Correct answer)
- That pay is disclosed publicly for all positions
- That pay equity audits are conducted annually
Correct answer: That men and women performing substantially equal work in the same establishment receive equal pay
The Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for men and women doing substantially equal work — same skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions.
Question 4: A candidate discloses a disability during the hiring process. Under the ADA, what is the employer's CORRECT response?
- Withdraw the candidate from consideration to avoid accommodation costs
- Engage in an interactive process to determine if reasonable accommodation can enable the candidate to perform essential functions (Correct answer)
- Ask the candidate for a complete medical history
- Refer the candidate to a different position without discussing accommodation
Correct answer: Engage in an interactive process to determine if reasonable accommodation can enable the candidate to perform essential functions
The ADA requires employers to engage in a good-faith interactive process with the individual to identify effective reasonable accommodations.
Question 5: Which agency is primarily responsible for enforcing federal employment discrimination laws in the United States?
- The Department of Labor (DOL)
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (Correct answer)
- The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
- The Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
Correct answer: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The EEOC is the federal agency charged with enforcing Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, and other federal anti-discrimination statutes.
Question 6: What is 'disparate impact' in employment law?
- Intentional discrimination against a protected class
- A neutral policy or practice that disproportionately disadvantages a protected group, even without discriminatory intent (Correct answer)
- A form of workplace harassment
- A Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action
Correct answer: A neutral policy or practice that disproportionately disadvantages a protected group, even without discriminatory intent
Disparate impact occurs when a facially neutral policy produces statistically significant adverse effects on a protected class, regardless of the employer's intent.
CDE CDE Legal Frameworks & Policy Development 1
Which federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin for employers with 15 or more employees?