[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2012

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on Equal Pay Day to highlight 
the persistent wage gap between women and men. April 17th marks how far 
into 2012 a woman has to work in order to make what her male 
counterpart made in 2011. This is a travesty, and a milestone we should 
not still be forced to mark in the 21st Century.
  In the 111th Congress, we passed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair 
Pay Act, which reinforced the ability of women to sue for pay 
discrimination. This was a crucial victory, but we must continue the 
fight and finish the job by passing into law H.R. 1519, the Paycheck 
Fairness Act. As in past Congresses, I am proud to be an original 
cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill would narrow the wage 
gap between men and women and strengthen the Equal Pay Act, which makes 
it unlawful for an employer to pay unequal wages to men and women that 
have similar jobs within the same establishment.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act would allow women to sue for wage 
discrimination and receive punitive damages, as well as compensatory 
damages. Currently, women who seek compensation for unequal pay can 
only recover back pay, or in some cases, double back pay. While this 
bill would increase penalties for employers who pay different wages to 
men and women for equal work, it also provides incentives such as 
training programs for employers to eliminate pay disparities and grant 
programs to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.
  Some may argue that these changes are not necessary, but the numbers 
speak for themselves. Despite greatly increased commitment to the labor 
force over the past 45 years, women working full time make 77 cents for 
every dollar earned by a man--less than a 20-percent increase since the 
Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963. In Rhode Island, the median 
pay for a woman working full time, year round is $40,532 per year, 
while the median yearly pay for a man is $50,567. This means that women 
are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly 
gap of $10,035 between full-time working men and women in the state.
  Even more troublesome, nationally, African-American women earn 66 
cents to the dollar and Latina women earn 55 cents to the dollar 
compared to men. According to a Census Bureau study, male high school 
graduates earned $13,000 more than female high school graduates in 
2006. Women with a bachelor's degree employed year-round earned 
$53,201, while similarly educated men earned an average of $76,749. 
This same study also noted that the pay difference between men and 
women grows wider as they age.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Paycheck Fairness 
Act to protect the fundamental right of women to earn equal pay for 
equal work, to support mothers who just want to be treated fairly by 
their employers while they provide for their children, and to ensure 
that daughters still in school can reach their full potential when they 
graduate.

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