The ADEA act is one of many anti-discrimination acts that serve to protect people from many different forms of discrimination. The language of the ADEA act focuses specifically on age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act was established in 1967, only four years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It promotes the employment of people 40 years of age or older based on their ability rather than their age. It also seeks to address issues that arise as employees become older, both on the employee and the employer. The ADEA Act gives authorization to the Secretary of Labor to conduct studies and forward the results to unions, management and the general public about the strengths and weaknesses of older employees. It also studies the positive impact that older employees have on businesses and the economy.