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Current legislation
The National
Committee on Pay Equity supports two bills in Congress
aimed at curbing wage discrimination. The bills work
on different aspects of wage discrimination, and both
are needed to fully close the wage gap.
The Fair
Pay Act was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on April 11, 2007. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will introduce the bill in the House. It seeks to end wage discrimination against
those who work in female-dominated or minority-dominated
jobs by establishing equal pay for equivalent work.
For example, within individual companies, employers
could not pay jobs that are held predominately by women
less than jobs held predominately by men if those jobs
are equivalent in value to the employer. The bill also
protects workers on the basis of race or national origin.
The Fair Pay Act makes exceptions for different wage
rates based on seniority, merit, or quantity or quality
of work. It also contains a small business exemption.
The Paycheck
Fairness Act (H.R. 1338 and S.766) was introduced March 6, 2007 by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Rep. Rosa DeLauro to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The bill
expands damages under the Equal Pay Act and amends its
very broad fourth affirmative defense. In addition,
the Paycheck Fairness Act calls for a study of data
collected by the EEOC and proposes voluntary guidelines
to show employers how to evaluate jobs with the goal
of eliminating unfair disparities.
Paycheck Fairness Act
Fact Sheet (pdf)
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| Further
info |
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| For more information
on either of the bills at left, go to
thomas.loc.gov |
| Please contact
your Congressional representatives and tell them
to cosponsor these bills! You can find a list of
House Members and Senators by state and contact
information at www.house.gov
and www.senate.gov. |
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