Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

Floor Speech

LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT OF 2009 -- (Extensions of Remarks - January 13, 2009)

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. As an original cosponsor of both pieces of legislation, I will proudly cast my vote for both bills before us today.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act corrects an errant Supreme Court decision in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which denied a woman named Lilly Ledbetter equal pay for equal work by ruling that she had only 180 days from her first discriminatory paycheck to file her claim, whether she was aware of that discrimination or not. This legislation will help ensure fair treatment in the workplace by clarifying that every paycheck resulting from a discriminatory pay decision constitutes a new violation of employment discrimination law.

The Paycheck Fairness Act will complement the Ledbetter bill by plugging loopholes that have been used to weaken enforcement of the Equal Pay Act. This legislation will ensure that employers have a job-related reason for any disparity in pay. It also protects from retaliation employees who discuss salary matters and puts gender discrimination on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination when it comes to seeking damages.

Madam Speaker, while we have made important strides towards gender equality in our Nation, American women still make only 78 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts for equal work. Together, these bills will bring us closer to America's promise of workplace equality for all of our citizens.

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