The Age discrimination act was first signed into law in 1967 and was actually an afterthought to the Act signed into law in 1964 which protected discrimination based on race, national origin, and religion. Age was mysteriously left out of the 1964 draft so an Age Discrimination Act was brought forth in 1967. There are amendments made to the age discrimination act yearly to keep up with changing times. Age discrimination is one of the most active forms of discrimination that the EEOC deals with. The law protects workers who are between the ages of 40-70. As time goes by, people are staying productive and are able to work past the ages of 50 and 60. If they are willing and able to stay on a job, there is no reason to force them to leave. By the same account, a worker who is over 40 should not be disqualified from a job simply because of their age. In fact, it is illegal to do so.