Paycheck Fairness Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman DeLauro for her persistent leadership for so many years, as well as Chairman Scott and the Speaker.

We must put an end to the wage gap and pay discrimination. Let me tell you, as you have heard, the wage gap for women of color is so much worse.

I am reminded today of our heroine, Fannie Lou Hamer. She said, ``I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.''

Black women earn 63 cents, indigenous women earn 60 cents, Latinas earn 55 cents, White women earn 82 cents, and AAPI women are paid as little as 52 cents on every dollar paid to the White man. That is outrageous.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Equal Pay Today! campaign urging Members to support the bill. Equal Pay Today, April 14, 2021. Re Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7) and vote no on harmful amendments.

Dear Representative(s): As the House votes on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7), we strongly urge you to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 7, without amendments that would limit its scope or undermine its critical protections.

As members of the Equal Pay Today Campaign, we represent a broad coalition consisting of both national and state based organizations from all across the country, that are dedicated to challenging the legal, policy, and cultural barriers at the local, state, and national level that keep women from being paid equally. Launched on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the federal Equal Pay Act, we are committed to fighting and advocating for legislation that will ultimately close the gender wage gap.

With our nation now entering into year two of this global pandemic, we can no longer ignore the disparities that have existed long before our nation's shutdown, and despite federal and state equal pay laws, the gender pay gap persists, and earnings lost to these gaps are widened due to the financial impacts of the pandemic, with a heavier burden bared by women of color and the families and communities who depend on them and their income.

Women are increasingly becoming the primary or co- breadwinner in their families, with Black mothers being far more likely than other mothers to be the primary or sole breadwinners for their families and more than half of Latina mothers being the breadwinner in families with children under 18. Women across this country, working full-time, year-round, are typically being paid only .82 cents for every dollar paid out to men, adding up to a loss of more than $400,000 dollars over a lifetime. And the wage gap gets even wider as race is factored in. Black women working full time, year round typically make only .63 cents, Native American women only .60 cents, and Latinas only .55 cents, for every dollar paid to their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts. Latinas stand to lose more than $1 million over a 40-year career due to the wage gap, and while Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women make .85 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, many AAPI communities experience drastically wider pay gaps. And even when controlling for factors, such as education and experience, the pay gaps still persist, start early in women's careers and contribute to a wealth gap that follows them throughout their lifetimes.

These pay gaps can be addressed and rectified through legislation that offers workers the legal tools and safeguards needed to challenge discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act, which has already been passed by the House of Representatives three times before and most recently by the 116th Congress, would offer the much needed updates to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by making these tools available while also providing new ones, that would help to combat and challenge discrimination and the pay gap.

The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it provides robust protection against sex-based pay discrimination. Among other provisions, this comprehensive bill:

ends secrecy around pay by barring retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages, and requiring employers to report pay data to the EEOC

prohibits employers from relying on salary history in determining future pay, so that pay discrimination does not follow women from job to job

closes loopholes that have allowed employers to pay women less than men for the same work without any important business justification related to the job

ensures women can receive the same robust remedies for sex- based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subjected to discrimination based on race and ethnicity

provides much needed training and technical assistance, as well as data collection and research

This past year has undoubtedly been a challenging one. The pandemic has shone a light on how the work performed by women, specifically Black and brown women, has continuously been undervalued, underpaid, and gone unnoticed. We cannot continue to use the word ``essential'' to describe the nature of this work, if there is no commitment to ensuring that all women can work with safety and with dignity, and the first step to making this happen, starts with pay equity, and the catalyst for this would be the passing of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

We urge you to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act without harmful amendments that weaken its critical protections.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Equal Pay Today.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, let me finally say: Remember, because of this discrimination, women's Social Security benefits during their senior years are much lower than men. This injustice follows women throughout their lives. This issue impacts women, regardless of industry, education level or political party. It is past time--it is so past time for Congress to take action on this.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source