I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3232 
To protect unpaid interns from workplace harassment and discrimination. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2015 
Mr. CUMMINGS (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, and Ms. MENG) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To protect unpaid interns from workplace harassment and 
discrimination. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unpaid Intern Protec-
tion Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST INTERNS. 
It shall be unlawful for an employer to discriminate 
against an intern on the basis of— 
(1) race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or 
age, or 
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(2) disability if such intern is a qualified indi-
vidual with a disability. 
SEC. 3. PROCEDURES. 
The procedures applicable to a claim for a violation 
of this Act are— 
(1) with respect to alleged discrimination based 
on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, the 
procedures applicable for a claim for a violation of 
title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
2000e et seq.), 
(2) with respect to alleged discrimination based 
on age, the procedures applicable for a violation of 
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 
U.S.C. 621 et seq.), and 
(3) with respect to alleged discrimination based 
on a disability, the procedures applicable for a viola-
tion of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.). 
SEC. 4. REMEDIES. 
The district courts of the United States shall have 
jurisdiction to grant such legal and equitable relief as may 
be appropriate for a violation of this Act. 
SEC. 5. STATE IMMUNITY. 
A State shall not be immune under the eleventh arti-
cle of amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
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from an action in a court of the United States for a viola-
tion of this Act. In an action against a State for a violation 
of this Act, remedies (including remedies at law and in 
equity) are available for the violation to the same extent 
as such remedies are available in an action against any 
public or private entity other than a State. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) DISABILITY.—The term ‘‘disability’’ has the 
meaning given such term as applied in the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 
et seq.). 
(2) EMPLOYER.—The term ‘‘employer’’ has the 
meaning given such term in— 
(A) section 701 of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e) with respect to dis-
crimination based on race, color, religion, sex, 
or national origin, 
(B) section 11 of the Age Discrimination 
in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 630) 
with respect to discrimination based on age, 
and 
(C) section 101 of the Americans with Dis-
abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111) with 
respect to discrimination based on disability. 
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(3) INTERN.—The term ‘‘intern’’ means an in-
dividual who performs uncompensated voluntary 
service for an employer, to earn credit awarded by 
an educational institution or to learn a trade or oc-
cupation. 
(4) QUALIFIED
INDIVIDUAL
WITH
A
DIS-
ABILITY.—The term ‘‘qualified individual with a dis-
ability’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
101 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12111). 
(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in— 
(A) section 701 of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e) with respect to dis-
crimination based on race, color, religion, sex, 
or national origin, 
(B) section 11 of the Age Discrimination 
in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 630) 
with respect to discrimination based on age, or 
(C) section 4 of the Americans with Dis-
abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12103) with 
respect to discrimination based on disability. 
Æ 
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