Congressman Cohen Statement on the Passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Act

Press Release

Congressman Cohen Statement on the Passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Act

Today, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) voted with a majority in the House of Representatives to give final approval to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Recently approved by the Senate, the bill passed by a vote of 252-174. This legislation will begin to close the gender pay gap in this country by reversing a Supreme Court decision that has kept women from pursuing pay discrimination claims. It now goes to President Obama and will likely be the first major piece of legislation he signs into law. Congressman Cohen released the following statement after the vote:

I was proud to cosponsor and speak out in favor of this bill last year when it was approved by the House, although it was defeated by Senate Republicans. And I am pleased that this battle has come to fruition and that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will finally become law.

One of the founding principles of our nation is equality. Eliminating income disparities between men and women doing equal work is a common-sense issue that affects all working women and their families. As families struggle with the current economic crisis, it is more important than ever that working women get paid fairly and equally. We in Congress are committed to rebuilding our economy. Fair play must be the method we use to accomplish this task and this legislation is a critical start.

However, the truth is that this legislation is about fairness, no matter what economic situation we find ourselves in. Equal pay for equal work. Period.

The Lilly Ledbetter Act reverses a May 2007 ruling by the Supreme Court that established a 180 day statute of limitations on filing pay discrimination claims. It clarifies that each discriminatory paycheck or compensation constitutes a violation of the Civil Rights Act. As long as workers file their charges within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck, their charges would be considered timely. This was the law prior to the Supreme Court's May 2007 decision.

The Ledbetter decision has already been cited in hundreds of discrimination cases. Not only have pay discrimination cases been adversely impacted, but protections guaranteed by the Fair Housing Act, Title IX, and the Eight Amendment have also been affected.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would apply to workers who file claims of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, or disability.

Lilly Ledbetter worked for nearly 20 years at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. She sued the company after learning that she was paid less then her male counterparts at the facility, despite having more experience than several of them. A jury found that her employer had unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of sex.

However, the Supreme Court said that Ledbetter had waited too long to sue for pay discrimination, despite the fact that she filed a charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as soon as she received an anonymous note alerting her to pay discrimination.

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