[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. CAROL SHEA-PORTER

                            of new hampshire

                    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:
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my enthusiastic 
support for H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and thank Chairman 
Miller of the Education and Labor Committee and Congresswoman DeLauro, 
the sponsor of this legislation for their tireless work and leadership 
on this Issue.
  To paraphrase James Madison, ``If men [and women] were angels, no 
government would be necessary.'' And in an ideal world, we wouldn't 
need legislation to reinforce the concept of equal pay for equal work. 
But even today in 2008, when women make on average only 77 cents for 
every one dollar made by their male counterparts, the importance of the 
Paycheck Fairness Act is clear.
  Gender-based wage discrimination has been illegal in this country 
since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law. Yet, the pay 
disparity between women and men that still persists today highlights 
the need to take another look at our wage discrimination laws. This 
disparity, by the way, is estimated to cost a working woman between 
$400,000 and $2 million over a lifetime.
  I am a proud cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act. It is about 
equal pay for equal work--and it is about time!

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