Paycheck Fairness Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER. Madam Chair, I rise today to speak in opposition to H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am a mother and a grandmother. I have raised two boys and one husband. I have owned businesses, managed employees, made payroll, served in the State legislature, and herded buffalo. I don't need any more men trying to tell me that they need to protect me from being paid less. I am perfectly capable of negotiating a fair wage for a fair day's work and choosing exactly what is important to me when making my own decisions.

The bill proposed by my colleagues across the aisle tells young women entering the workforce that they are unable to negotiate for their own jobs or take control of their own life and that they need to be coddled by the government in order to succeed. What arrogance.

We are not some delicate and helpless group that needs men to tell us just how bad we have it and just how much they need to make sure that we are looked after. I can take care of myself, thank you, and so can every single woman in this country. This bill is nothing more than a trial lawyer's dream and a job creator's nightmare.

The Equal Pay Act already makes it illegal to pay unequal wages for equal work. The men can go try to find somebody else who needs their help. In the meantime, I am going to focus on actually helping women earn more by creating good-paying jobs, by growing our economy, and by building a system that allows for flexible work schedules and nurtures entrepreneurship.

We can't legislate respect any more than we can legislate common sense. Women know real respect is earned. We don't need the men's help, and we don't need the government's help. We just need them both to get out of our way.

I wholly oppose this legislation.

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