[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 9, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF EQUAL PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
recognition of Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day brings awareness to the 
issue of disparate pay for women and families, and promotes the fair 
principles of equal pay for equal work.
  As a Member of Congress, I am proud to say that I am an original 
cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, an important piece of 
legislation that hopes to limit sex discrimination in the payment of 
wages. Nationally, women earn roughly 77 cents for every dollar earned 
by their male counterparts. This wage gap varies widely throughout 
various states across the country. For single parents and other heads 
of households, wage inequality can have lasting ramifications on 
quality of life and economic prosperity. Earning less money for the 
same time investment is not only unfair, it undermines a robust labor 
force and eats away at the foundation of a strong and prosperous 
economy. It is an issue that afflicts every community across our 
Nation.
  In the Dallas Metroplex, women are paid 85 cents for every dollar 
paid to men, or $7,163 less per year for a typical full-time job. 
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, women in 
the Dallas area lose more than $7 billion each year due to these 
blatant disparities in pay.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the American people to ensure that all 
workers are being paid fair and equitable wages for their labor. The 
Equal Pay and Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Acts were steps taken in the 
right direction. Now, we must pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to 
continue our assault on pay inequality, and ensure that women across 
the country have access to fair wages.

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