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Washington,
DC-Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (TX-23) today voted for
H.R. 11, theLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which works to
ensure that there is truly equal pay for equal work in this country. An
identical bill backed by Rodriguez passed the House in 2007. The bill
passed the House by a vote of 247-171.
"Equal pay is
not just a women's issue, it's a family issue," said Rodriguez.
"The wage gap hurts everyone - husbands, wives, children, and parents -
because it lowers family incomes that pay for essentials like groceries,
doctors' visits, and child care. When women earn more, an entire family
sees the benefits. Closing the wage gap is an integral part of
strengthening our families and our economy."
In 1963, when the
Equal Pay Act was signed, women who worked full-time, year-round made 59
cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 2006, women earned
77 cents for every dollar earned by men. That is progress - but it is
slow progress. It means that the wage gap has narrowed by less than
half a cent per year.
The inequity is
even worse for women of color. African-American women earn only 68 cents and
Latino women 57 cents for every dollar that men earn, according to American
Association of University Women (AAUW) statistics.
The bill would
restore a basic protection against pay discrimination by remedying a May 2007
Supreme Court decision that overturned longstanding precedent making it more
difficult for workers to pursue pay discrimination claims. Specifically, the
bill would restore the long held interpretation of civil rights laws under
which stated that if a worker filed a complaint within 180 days of a
discriminatory paycheck, their charges would be timely.
"Ensuring
that women receive equal pay for equal work is a common-sense issue that
affects all working women and their families," Rodriguez
concluded. "By eliminating unfair treatment in the labor market,
we can help families gain the resources they need to ensure that their
children have access to a better future."
Rodriguez is also
supporting H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act which would
strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by providing more effective solutions to
women who are not being paid equal wages for doing equal work. The bill
would also require the Department of Labor to enhance outreach and training
programs to work with employers to eliminate pay disparities and would create
a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and
women. This bill passed the House today by a vote of 256-163.
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Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez
(TX-23) serves as a Member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and
the Veterans Affairs Committee. For more information about Rodriguez,
see his website at rodriguez.house.gov or
contact his Communications Director Josh Rosenblum at Joshua.rosenblum@mail.house.gov.
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