Congress Introduces Legislation to Prevent Sex-Based Pay Discrimination

January 30, 2019 11:30 am

Media Contact
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
United States

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress in the House and Senate introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act today, legislation that strengthens protections against sex-based pay discrimination and updates the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The bill would give working people the legal tools to challenge discrimination and provide employers with incentives, training, and technical assistance to comply with the law.

Despite federal and state equal pay laws, the gender pay gap continues to be a crisis for American workers, robbing women (and their families) of thousands — even millions — of dollars over their careers. And pay discrimination has a devastating and disproportionate impact on women of color, who make even less than the 80 cents white women make to white, non-Hispanic men’s dollar.

Vania Leveille, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, issued the following statement:

“This bill is a powerful weapon in the fight not only for fair pay and women’s economic equality but also against sexual harassment because addressing wage discrimination will help change workplace power dynamics that allow harassment to fester and grow.

“The record number of women who make up the 116th Congress are uniquely positioned to understand and hear the pleas of millions of women who have suffered pay discrimination for far too long. Now that the Paycheck Fairness Act has been introduced, every member of Congress should ensure that it soon will be the law of the land.”

Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.