[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 9, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H1847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1920
                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, today, the 9th of April, is called 
Equal Pay Day because it marks the number of days into 2013 women had 
to work to equal the salary made by their male counterparts in 2012. It 
is a sad reality that women systemically continue to be paid less than 
men for doing the same work.
  As families increasingly rely on women's wages to make ends meet, 
equal pay is not simply a women's issue; it is a family issue that 
impacts our national economy. On average, women receive only 77 cents 
for every dollar paid to male workers. This disparity results in the 
loss of nearly $11,000 a year, or the equivalent of 4 months of 
groceries, 5 months of child care, and over 6 months of rent and 
utilities.
  In my home State of California, the wage gap is even more pronounced 
for black and Latina women, who receive just 64 cents and 42 cents, 
respectively, for every dollar paid to white men.
  Mr. Speaker, we have the power to correct this injustice that hurts 
families and the economy. I urge the Republican leadership to allow a 
vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act.

                          ____________________