35.3  Veterans preference in private employment permitted.
  1.  A private employer may grant preference in hiring and promotion to an individual who is a veteran.
  2.  a.  A private employer may grant preference in hiring and promotion to the spouse of a veteran who has sustained a permanent, compensable service-connected disability as* adjudicated by the United States veterans administration or by the retirement board of one of the armed forces of the United States.
  b.  A private employer may grant preference in hiring and promotion to the surviving spouse of a deceased member of the United States armed forces who died while serving on active duty during a time of military conflict or who died as a result of such service.
  3.  Granting a hiring or promotion preference under this section does not violate any state law or local ordinance regarding equal employment opportunity, including but not limited to chapter 216.
  4.  The hiring and promotion preferences allowable under this section shall only be granted if consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations.
2014 Acts, ch 1116, §29
*The words “a permanent, compensable service-connected disability as”, which were inadvertently duplicated prior to transmission of 2014 Acts, ch 1116, to the Governor for approval, were deleted editorially