Paycheck Fairness Act
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Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act.
I would like to acknowledge our colleague, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), for her leadership on this issue and for bringing this bill to the Floor.
Kofi Anan once said ``When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.'' In a period of tough economic times, this bill and this quote could not be timelier or more relevant. Despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963 women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. In a society where women are increasingly the heads of households, pay inequity harms not only the individual woman but her children and other family members as well.
H.R. 1338 increases the penalties for gender discrimination, and puts gender discrimination sanctions on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination, including those based on race, disability, or age. The bill prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers. The fact of the matter is that, for every woman who comes forward and speaks out against pay discrimination, there are scores of other woman who remain silent for fear of retaliation. This legislation sends a strong message to women that their elected officials recognize the discrepancy in pay and are doing everything in their power to remedy pay discrimination.
In closing, I would like to quote Betty Friedan, world renowned feminist and author of the book The Feminine Mystique: ``A girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex but neither should she adjust to prejudice and discrimination.'' There is no room in this society for gender discrimination, which harms the greater community because when we uplift one segment of society, we uplift our entire society.
For all the single mothers, working mothers, and young women entering the workforce, I lend my full support to H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act.
This is a sound piece of legislation, a critical piece of legislation, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act.
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