Introduction of the Pay Equity for All Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Pay Equity for All Act of 2021, which would help eliminate the gender and racial pay gap by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants for their salary history before making a job or salary offer. Even though many employers may not intentionally discriminate against applicants or employees based on gender, race or ethnicity, setting wages based on salary history can reinforce the wage gap. Members of historically disadvantaged groups often start their careers with unfair and artificially low wages compared to their white male counterparts, and the disparities are compounded from job to job throughout their careers. Last Congress, the House passed the Pay Equity for All Act as part of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7).

The Pay Equity for All Act would help ensure that applicants' salaries are based on their skills and merit, not on salary history, by assessing penalties against employers that ask applicants for their salary history during the interview process or as a condition of employment. It would also provide job applicants and employees with a private right of action against employers that violate these provisions.

There is much work to be done to address the wage gap. This bill would be an important step toward addressing these disparities.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source