Pascrell Lauds Paycheck Fairness Act Passage

Press Release

Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) celebrated passage in the House of H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which seeks to raise wages and ensure gender equality in the workplace.

"The gender pay gap continues to be a stain on our nation. If we are serious about equal rights, women must be allowed to fully participate in our economy," said Rep. Pascrell. "As workers across the country struggle to make ends meet amid this economic crisis, women cannot afford to wait any longer for equal pay. Women and especially women of color are still paid less on average than their male counterparts. This is obscene. I want to thank my friend and colleague Rosa DeLauro for her stalwart efforts on behalf of this bill. Full passage of our Paycheck Fairness Act is long overdue and Democrats are committed to getting it signed into law once and for all."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would make it easier to identify and correct wage inequality. As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognize we still have a long way to go in achieving the promise of equal rights. Today's passage brings us one step closer. It is my hope that my granddaughters and their daughters after them will experience the realized American promise of equal pay for equal work."

Since 1997, Rep. Pascrell and House Democrats have repeatedly attempted to enact the Paycheck Fairness Act into law. Pascrell has been a frequent co-sponsor of this legislation, and combatting discrimination in the workplace has remained a core goal of his work in the Congress. In 2009, Rep. Pascrell signed onto the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, one of President Obama's signature legislative achievements, which strengthened worker protections against pay discrimination. In 2013, Pascrell co-sponsored the Minimum Wage Fairness Act to set forth a gradual increase of the federal minimum wage for employees over the next four years.

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