§5-11-9a. Veterans preference not a violation of equal employment opportunity under certain circumstances.

An employer may grant preference in hiring to a veteran or disabled veteran who has been honorably discharged from the United States Armed Services: Provided, That the veteran or disabled veteran meets all of the knowledge, skills, and eligibility requirements of the job, and provided further that, granting the preference does not violate any state equal employment opportunity law. For purposes of this section, the term “veteran” means any person who has received an honorable discharge and: (a) Has provided more than one hundred eighty consecutive days of full-time, active-duty service in the United States Armed Services or Reserve components thereof, including the National Guard; or (b) has a service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.