[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E976-E977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2012

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, with the Senate 
expected to consider the Paycheck Fairness Act today, it is imperative 
that the House get serious about addressing pay inequality for working 
women across the United States. The House version of the Paycheck 
Fairness Act, H.R. 1519, seeks to achieve this pay equality and 
fairness by holding employers accountable for sex-based pay 
discrimination.
  On average, women earn only seventy-seven cents for every dollar 
earned by their male counterparts, and that disparity can fluctuate 
even further across professions. For African American and Latina women, 
they are paid only 62 and 54 cents respectively for every dollar paid 
to their male counterparts. For countless families and single mothers 
trying to make ends meet, this wage disparity threatens their financial 
stability, and negatively impacts the livelihood of these women and 
their dependents.

[[Page E977]]

  The Paycheck Fairness Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that 
will ensure equal pay for all hardworking Americans. There is no basis 
for which pay discrimination should ever exist, and allowing this to 
continue undermines our Nation's economic recovery and our commitment 
to equality.
  Mr. Speaker, fairness and equality are basic fundamentals that we 
must promote as a democratic Nation. Allowing pay discrimination on the 
basis of sex is not consistent with those principles, and I urge this 
Congress to take action against it. The Paycheck Fairness Act will 
provide a solid foundation on which we can build to promote fairness 
and equality in the workplace. As an original cosponsor of this 
important piece of legislation, I will continue to advocate for the 
rights of women all across the country.

                          ____________________