April 12 marks Equal Pay Day, a date symbolizing the more than three additional months into the year required for women's wages to catch up to what men were paid the previous year. According to a new analysis by the National Partnership for Women and Families, on average, women are paid just 79 cents for every dollar paid to men.
Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) is a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1619) which closes loopholes in existing law and strengthens the existing Equal Pay Act. Senator Barbara Mikulski is the author of the Senate version of the bill.
"We must ensure equal pay for equal work," said Congressman Delaney. "The wage gap hurts women, hurts working families and hurts our economy. Discrimination against women is just plain wrong and just plain bad business, as it leaves the talent, drive and expertise of half the population on the sidelines. I'm proud to stand with Senator Mikulski in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which both House and Senate leaders have refused to even bring to the floor for a vote. It's time to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, protect women from discrimination and bring more fairness to the workplace."
The Paycheck Fairness Act requires employers to show that pay disparity is truly based on performance, prohibits employer retaliation for sharing salaries and strengthens legal remedies for women experiencing pay discrimination.