INDIANAPOLIS | A 56-year-old Hammond woman laid off by her employer in January came to the Statehouse on Wednesday to fight for a change in the way Indiana handles age discrimination cases.

"I'm a good secretary. I work hard," said Linda Wojtanowski, of the Hessville neighborhood. "After 17 years, they handed me boxes and said I could leave. But other people stayed. ... Every morning I'm at my computer looking for jobs at less pay."

Wojtanowski, whose husband also lost his factory job last fall, was among several AARP Indiana members to address the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee.

The panel is considering House Bill 1014, which would allow workers age 40 and older to contest a layoff or demotion under the same system that vets discrimination complaints based on disability, race, religion or sex. The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, would move the age discrimination review process from the state Department of Labor to the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.

If the change goes forward, workers who prevail in age discrimination cases could get their old jobs back and be awarded back pay and other damages. All the current system allows is a finding of fault against an employer.

But the state system only handles cases involving employers with fewer than 20 employees. And small businesses are fighting the proposed change.

"We don't need an extra burden on these folks," Ed Roberts, a lobbyist for the Indiana Manufacturers Association, told legislators. "There are too many burdens now."