§ 54. Age and educational requirements. 1. Notwithstanding any
provision of law to the contrary, except as herein provided, neither the
state civil service department nor the state civil service commission,
nor any municipal civil service commission shall prohibit, prevent,
disqualify, or discriminate against, any person who is physically and
mentally qualified, from participating in a civil service examination or
from qualifying for a position in the classified civil service, or
penalize any such person in a final rating by reason of his or her age;
and any such rule, requirement, resolution, regulation or penalization
shall be void. Nothing herein contained, however, shall prevent the
adoption of reasonable minimum or maximum age requirements for open
competitive examinations for positions where it is determined by the
department and approved by the commission that such age requirements
would be reasonable minimum qualification for such position. Minimum age
requirements shall in no case prohibit an applicant who is within twelve
months of the minimum age requirement from taking any competitive
examination. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prohibit the
disqualification, on account of age, of any applicant for a position who
has reached the mandatory retirement age applicable by law to such
position.

2. Minimum education requirements shall in no case prohibit an
applicant who is within twelve months of obtaining the minimum education
requirements from taking any competitive examination.