[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E67]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 9, 2009

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Lilly 
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. As an original 
cosponsor of both pieces of legislation, I will proudly cast my vote 
for both bills before us today.
  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act corrects an errant Supreme Court 
decision in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which denied a woman 
named Lilly Ledbetter equal pay for equal work by ruling that she had 
only 180 days from her first discriminatory paycheck to file her claim, 
whether she was aware of that discrimination or not. This legislation 
will help ensure fair treatment in the workplace by clarifying that 
every paycheck resulting from a discriminatory pay decision constitutes 
a new violation of employment discrimination law.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act will complement the Ledbetter bill by 
plugging loopholes that have been used to weaken enforcement of the 
Equal Pay Act. This legislation will ensure that employers have a job-
related reason for any disparity in pay. It also protects from 
retaliation employees who discuss salary matters and puts gender 
discrimination on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination 
when it comes to seeking damages.
  Madam Speaker, while we have made important strides towards gender 
equality in our Nation, American women still make only 78 cents for 
every dollar earned by their male counterparts for equal work. 
Together, these bills will bring us closer to America's promise of 
workplace equality for all of our citizens.

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