[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 19, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3900-S3901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Harkin, 
        Mr. Durbin, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Schumer, 
        and Ms. Stabenow):
  S. 841. A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to 
provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the 
payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Paycheck 
Fairness Act, which I am introducing along with my colleagues Senators 
Reid, Kennedy, Harkin, Durbin, Landrieu, Corzine, Leahy, Schumer, and 
Stabenow. I also want to acknowledge Senator Daschle for his 
longstanding support of this critical issue and Congresswoman DeLauro 
for being a champion in the House of Representatives.
  This morning I met Brenda Wholey, a plaintiff in the Wal-Mart class 
action sex discrimination lawsuit. Brenda came all the way to 
Washington from Philadelphia to share her story with us. She worked 
hard, put in her time, and watched as time in and time out, men were 
promoted above her and compensated with higher salaries.
  Too often when we talk about equal pay we talk about numbers--the 76 
cents on the dollar that women earn, the 54 cents that Hispanic women 
earn. We talk about GAO reports and violations and litigation. But what 
this is really about is women like Brenda. Women who get up every day 
and go to work so they can provide for their families. Women who work 
hard and play by the rules and want to build a better life for their 
children. Women like Brenda who just want to be treated fairly.
  The Equal Pay Act was an important step forward for women. It gave 
women a real chance to be full, equal participants in the workforce and 
to earn equal pay for equal work.
  In the 42 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted, women have 
shattered so many barriers. And for young women entering the workforce 
today, the sky is the limit. But we still have work to do to truly 
level the playing field.
  That means making sure that employers treat men and women equally in 
the workplace. It also means giving women the tools they need to 
acquire the pay and recognition they deserve.
  That is why I am pleased to be introducing the Paycheck Fairness 
Act--a bill that will build on the promise of the Equal Pay Act and 
help close the pay gap.

[[Page S3901]]

  The Paycheck Fairness Act has three main components.
  First, it prevents pay discrimination before it starts. By helping 
women strengthen their negotiation skills and providing outreach and 
technical assistance to employers to ensure they fairly evaluate and 
pay their employees, the Paycheck Fairness Act gives employers the 
tools they need to level the playing field between men and women.
  Second, the Paycheck Fairness Act creates strong penalties to punish 
those who do violate the act. By strengthening the penalties for 
employers who violate the Equal Pay Act, this bill sends a strong 
message--Equal Pay is a matter to be taken seriously.
  And finally, the Paycheck Fairness Act ensures that the Federal 
Government, which should be a model employer when it comes to enforcing 
Federal employment laws, uses every tool in its toolbox to ensure that 
women are paid the same amount as men for doing the same jobs.
  From ending the Clinton administration's Equal Pay Matters 
Initiative, to halting the collection of data on women workers, to 
removing important information about the wage gap from the Department 
of Labor's website, to tying its own hands in enforcing the Equal Pay 
Act among Federal contractors, the Bush administration has taken this 
country backwards in the fight for equal pay. You might say the Bush 
administration has taken one giant step backwards for womenkind.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act would stop the Bush administration's 
rollbacks and make sure, once again, that our Federal Government sets a 
standard of excellence for making sure women are paid the same as men.
  There is no question that we've come a long way since the Equal Pay 
Act became law 42 years ago. And women have earned every step they have 
gained in the journey toward equality.
  But what has made this country great is that we have never accepted 
that ``less discrimination'' is ``good enough.'' The history of our 
country is one of constant striving to live up to the ideal of our 
founding. And the most basic element of our American character is the 
belief that all of us deserve to be treated as equals.
  Our country in its history has faced lots of difficult questions, 
questions on which reasonable people could disagree. Equal pay is not 
one of those hard questions. It is common sense, it is basic fairness. 
It is simply right.
  And frankly, when it comes to equal pay, we still have a lot of work 
to do. Women's compensation still lags behind men's in nearly every 
occupation and every field. As the American Association of University 
Women study being unveiled today shows us, this fact is not lost on 
most Americans. Young, old, Democrat, Republican, male, female--there 
is universal recognition that a wage gap exists. Well, the Paycheck 
Fairness Act will do something about it.
  This issue is about our mothers, our sisters, our daughters. It's 
about women being able to earn an equal wage for equal work. It is in 
all of our interests to allow women to support their families and to 
live with the dignity and respect accorded to fully engaged members of 
the workforce.
  Equality works for all of us. Now is the time to make sure that we 
all work towards equality.
                                 ______