Sen. Franken: Time is Now to Curb Income Gap Between Women & Men

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said the time is now to address the income gap that still exists between women and men, calling the thousands of dollars that women lose every year because of paycheck discrimination an outrage.

Sen. Franken has said that equal pay for equal work is good for workers and is good for business, leading to more productive employees and lower turnover. And at a Senate Labor Committee Hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Franken called on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen protections for women in the workplace and help end wage discrimination.

"Every year, this pay gap adds up to thousands of dollars that women-our sisters, daughters, wives, and mothers-don't have in their pockets to pay their rent or mortgage, pay for child care, buy groceries, or save for their kids to go to college," said Sen. Franken. "That is a tragedy and an outrage. And that's why I'm proud to be a supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act."

Sen. Franken is a long-time supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which he helped reintroduce last year. The bill is expected to be voted on in the Senate in the near future.

The Paycheck Fairness Act strengthens the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 by taking critical steps to empower women to negotiate for equal pay, closing loopholes that courts have created in the law, creating strong incentives for employers to obey the laws that are in place, and strengthening federal outreach and enforcement efforts.

In 2012, Sen. Franken similarly introduced the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act, which would restore the rights of women to challenge workplace discrimination in court.

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