Hoteliers have had to adjust their hiring practices in response to a movement among U.S. states, counties and cities to ban employers from asking job candidates’ their salary histories,

In an effort to address pay discrimination, 15 states and 12 counties and cities across the U.S. have banned companies from asking about potential hires’ salary histories. These bans presume a historical imbalance in pay between male and female employees, said Andria Ryan, partner at Fisher Phillips. If someone was underpaid at a previous job, basing the new salary on the old one would perpetuate underpayment, she said.