Paycheck Fairness Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of every working woman who faces pay discrimination in the workplace. Last year the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to drastically limit women's access to seek justice for pay discrimination based on gender, requiring workers to file a pay discriminate claim within a 6-month period only, regardless of how long the pay inequity goes on.

The House has passed legislation to right this wrong, and the other body will follow this week. While a weakening economy weighs heavily on women and families across America, and when women are still only earning 77 percent of what men earn, this is not the time to curtail women's access to fair pay.

That is why this Congress must pass into law the Paycheck Fairness Act. With the support of more than 227 cosponsors, my bill would help women confront discrimination in the workplace, give teeth to the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their coworkers, allow women to sue for punitive damages and the recovery of back pay and create a new grant program to help strength the negotiation skills of girls and women.

I call on the House to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because every woman deserves equal pay for equal work.

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