Paycheck Fairness Actht

Floor Speech

Paycheck Fairness Act

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I want to commend and thank Chairman Miller for his tireless commitment to this issue--I know that we could never have come this far without his tenacious leadership, we are grateful--and to Speaker Pelosi, whose vision and leadership have made pay equity a priority in this Congress.

Earlier this week we convened the 111th Congress. We welcomed our new colleagues to the floor, we celebrated this institution's proudest achievements and honored its great potential. Together, we look to the challenges before us with a great sense of responsibility.

Today, the economy weighs heavily on most Americans. Families across this Nation are struggling with job insecurity, declining incomes, foreclosures and a financial system in crisis. Women, who account for nearly one half of the workforce, feel the effects of this faltering economy with particular force and poignancy.

Incomes for women-headed households are down by 3 percent since 2000. Unmarried women have an average household income almost $12,000 lower than unmarried men, and half of all women are in jobs that do not offer retirement plans. Retired women are more likely to be poor than elderly men.

With our economy in crisis, so many women are on the edge financially. They feel as if their economic freedom is under assault. Almost 60 percent of women say they are concerned about achieving their economic and financial goals over the next 5 years, 15 points higher than for men.

But we know that it does not have to be this way. Today we face a transformational moment with a new Congress, a new administration. We have a chance to finally provide equal pay for equal work and make opportunity real for millions of American women. The status quo will not do.

The Department of Labor's own data shows that today women still earn 78 cents for every dollar that men earn, and the marketplace alone will not correct this injustice. We need a solution in law, just as our country has done in the past, to bring down discriminatory barriers.

As the National Committee on Pay Equity tells us, pay disparity's long-term impact on women's lifetime earnings is substantial, can cost a woman anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over her lifetime. That lack of pay equity translates into less income toward a pension, in some cases Social Security benefits. It is no coincidence that 70 percent of older adults living in poverty are women.

I am so proud that, together with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act is among the first legislative proposals this Congress has chosen to consider. It says something profound about our priorities as an institution and our goals for the months ahead. It says that we are a Nation that values the work that women do in our society.

The Paycheck Fairness Act closes loopholes that have enabled employers to evade liability, stiffens penalties for employers who discriminate based on gender, protects employees from retaliation for sharing salary information, with some exceptions. It establishes a grant initiative to provide negotiation skills training programs for girls and women.

It addresses a real problem with concrete solutions. Last year working women filed over 800 charges of unlawful sex-based pay discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We all know Lilly Ledbetter's story. For so many years she was shortchanged by her employer.

This week, a New York Times editorial said that by acting today, we can, and I quote, ``signal a welcome new seriousness in Washington about protecting civil rights after 8 years of erosion.''

This is our moment to fight for economic freedom and to eliminate the systemic discrimination faced by women workers. Because what we know is at stake, had the Paycheck Fairness Act been the law of the land when Lilly Ledbetter decided to go to court, she would have had a far better opportunity to receive just compensation for the discrimination that she endured.

That is why President-elect Obama has said about the Paycheck Fairness Act, and I quote, ``This isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families. It's a question of who we are as a country--of whether we're going to live up to our values as a Nation.''

Pay equity is not just another benefit to be bargained for or bargained away. It is about giving women the power to gain economic security for themselves and for their families. This body took a major step when it passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act last summer. We return today to carry that momentum forward, finish what we started.

I have always been proud to serve in this institution, and I revere those lawmakers who, before us on previous days, took a stand for health care, for the elderly or for the Civil Rights Act and for the Family and Medical Leave Act and made such an impact on people's lives.

That is the whole reason why we are here. It is my hope that the House acts today to pass both the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act to again make history for this country.

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