[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3769 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3769

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow compensatory and 
punitive damages for violations of the anti-discrimination provision of 
such Act and to provide additional resources to the Secretary of Labor 
             to do studies and outreach on pay disparities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 1998

 Mr. Baesler (for himself and Ms. Slaughter) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow compensatory and 
punitive damages for violations of the anti-discrimination provision of 
such Act and to provide additional resources to the Secretary of Labor 
             to do studies and outreach on pay disparities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness for Working Families Act''.

SEC. 2. ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT OF EQUAL PAY REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Enhanced Penalties.--Section 16(b) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
216(b)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
        ``Any employer who violates section 6(d) shall additionally be 
        liable for such compensatory or punitive damages as may be 
        appropriate.'';
            (2) in the sentence beginning ``An action to'', by striking 
        ``either of the preceding sentences'' and inserting ``any of 
        the preceding sentences of this subsection''; and
            (3) in the sentence beginning ``The court in''--
                    (A) by striking ``in such action'' and inserting 
                ``in any action brought to recover the liability 
                prescribed in any of the preceding sentences of this 
                subsection''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period the following: 
                ``, including expert fees''.
    (b) Action.--Section 16(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 216(c)) is 
amended--
            (1) in the first sentence--
                    (A) by inserting ``or, in the case of a violation 
                of section 6(d), additional compensatory or punitive 
                damages,'' before ``, and the agreement''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period the following: 
                ``, or such compensatory or punitive damages, as 
                appropriate'';
            (2) in the second sentence, by inserting before the period 
        the following: ``and, in the case of a violation of section 
        6(d), additional compensatory or punitive damages''; and
            (3) in the third sentence, by striking ``the first 
        sentence'' and inserting ``the first or second sentence''.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH.

    (a) Studies and Information.--The Secretary of Labor shall conduct 
studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and 
the general public concerning the means available to eliminate pay 
disparities between men and women, including--
            (1) conducting and promoting research to develop the means 
        to correct expeditiously the conditions leading to the pay 
        disparities;
            (2) publishing and otherwise making available to employers, 
        labor organizations, professional associations, educational 
        institutions, the media, and the general public the findings 
        resulting from studies and other materials, relating to 
        eliminating the pay disparities;
            (3) sponsoring and assisting State and community 
        informational and educational programs;
            (4) providing information to employers, labor 
        organizations, professional associations, and other interested 
        persons on the means of eliminating the pay disparities;
            (5) recognizing and promoting the achievements of 
        employers, labor organizations, and professional associations 
        that have worked to eliminate the pay disparities;
            (6) convening a national summit to discuss, and consider 
        approaches for rectifying, the pay disparities; and
            (7) issuing to employers voluntary pay guidelines for the 
        relative pay ranges of a selection of male- and female-
        dominated widely held occupations.
    (b) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Labor $1,000,000 to carry out subsection (a).
                                 <all>