[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 22, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

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                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I rise to call attention to Equal Pay Day.
  This is the day when the average wages of a female worker catch up to 
the average wages of a male worker during the previous year.
  That's right, the Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President 
Kennedy in 1963, yet here we are in 2008 and women still earn only 77 
cents to every dollar a man earns.
  When women earn less, their entire family suffers. When we allow 
women to be paid unequal wages for equal work, we as a society are 
tolerating discrimination. That is why we must take action to close the 
wage gap, and treat all workers equally.
  Further compounding the difficulties that are faced by women and 
their families due to pay inequity, is the Supreme Court decision last 
year in Ledbetter v. Goodyear. The Court rules that a worker must file 
a charge of pay discrimination within 180 days of an employer's initial 
decision to pay someone less for discriminatory reasons. This clearly 
went against the intent of the Civil Rights Act and I was so proud that 
the House acted quickly to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which 
provides more effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal 
wages for doing equal work.
  This week, the Senate will consider this important legislation--how 
fitting that it occurs during the same week as Equal Pay Day?
  I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair 
Pay Act immediately and urge the President to sign it into law.




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