[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1695-E1696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1338) 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.

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1338, 
the Paycheck Fairness Act.
  Last week, I had the honor of participating in a portrait unveiling 
ceremony for former New Jersey Representative Mary Norton, who was the 
chair of the Labor Committee 70 years ago and a tireless advocate for 
equal pay. Under her leadership Congress passed 1938 Fair Labor 
Standards Act that established the 40-hour workweek, outlawed child 
labor and established a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour. I think of 
her today when I say that while we have made significant progress since 
the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the fight for equality in the workplace is 
far from over. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women still earn 
only 77 percent as much as men on average. These statistics are worse 
for women of color; African-American women earn only 71.7 cents and 
Latinas only 58.5 cents for every dollar earned by their male 
counterparts.
  Unfortunately, this wage gap only increases over time and has lasting 
effects on the lives of our working women. While women 1 year out of 
college earn 80 percent of what their male peers make, by the time 
women are 10 years out of college they are making only 69 percent of 
what men do. Furthermore, after a lifetime of receiving lower wages, 
older women are less likely than older men to receive pension income, 
and when they do they receive

[[Page E1696]]

only half of the benefits that men receive. It is then sad, but 
unsurprising, that women represent 70 percent of older adults living in 
poverty.
  Mary Norton understood that the wage gap is not just a women's 
issue--it is a family issue. When women earn less for equal work, 
families are forced to do more with less. Affording all of life's 
expenses is challenging enough--it shouldn't be made harder as a result 
of women being shortchanged on payday.
  I believe that there is more that can and should be done to level the 
playing field and provide fair opportunities for women in education and 
the workplace. I would like to commend my colleague from Connecticut, 
Representative Rosa DeLauro, for introducing H.R. 1338, the Paycheck 
Fairness Act. This bill would strengthen the Equal Pay Act and close 
loopholes that allow employers to avoid responsibility for 
discriminatory pay and prohibit employers from retaliating against 
employees who discuss salary information with their co-workers. It 
would also create a training program to strengthen women's negotiation 
skills and establish additional avenues for women to seek equal pay in 
the workplace.
  This legislation is long overdue and I urge my colleagues to support 
it.

                          ____________________