[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2203-S2204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 345,
S. 2199, the Paycheck Fairness Act.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:
Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 345, S. 2199, a bill to
amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more
effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the
payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.
Schedule
Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the
Republican leader, the Senate will be in morning business until 12:30
p.m., with the time equally divided and controlled. The Senate will
recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for our weekly caucus meetings, as
we always do on Tuesdays.
Measure Placed on the Calendar--H.R. 2575
Mr. President, I understand that H.R. 2575 is at the desk and due for
a second reading.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Booker). The clerk will read the bill by
title for the second time.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 2575) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to repeal the 30-hour threshold for classification of a
full-time employee for purposes of the employer mandate in
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and replace it
with 40 hours.
Mr. REID. I object to any further proceedings at this time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection having been heard, the bill will be
placed on the calendar.
Equal Pay Day
Mr. REID. Mr. President, Ralph Waldo Emerson said this: ``America is
another name for opportunity.''
``America is another name for opportunity.''
Today this body, the Senate, should put Emerson's words to the test
as we turn attention to the question of equal pay. For working American
women, millions of whom are primary wage earners for their families,
the Paycheck Fairness Act represents a unique opportunity, a chance to
better provide for themselves and their families.
It is unconscionable that American women currently take home an
average of 77 cents for every dollar their male colleagues earn for
doing the exact same work. Wage disparity is true regardless of whether
a woman has a college degree, what job she holds or how many hours she
spends at the office or factory or wherever it might be.
Consider this just for a brief moment: For a woman to make the same
salary as a man in 1 year for doing similar work in America, she must
work not only that year but also an additional 3 months and 8 days.
That is why today, April 8, the eighth day of the fourth month, is
Equal Pay Day. It represents the extra work American women have to put
forth to provide for their families. This is an injustice and should
not be permitted to take place in America. While President Obama and
Democrats have made significant progress toward helping women achieve
equal pay, there is still much for us to do.
Five years ago the very first law President Obama ever signed, the
first act he performed in the Oval Office, was to sign the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Remember, this is the legislation based on the
good woman who found out--after having worked at this place for so many
years, having additional responsibilities than all the men--they were
all getting paid much more than she. She was the boss getting paid less
than the people who worked for her. Why? Because she is a woman.
The Lilly Ledbetter legislation is the biggest step Congress has
taken on behalf of women to help them with their wages since the Equal
Pay Act of 1963. The bill provides that the statute of limitations
doesn't begin to run until someone finds out they are being cheated by
their employer. The legislation helped address the pay gap, but women
still suffer from discriminatory wage disparity.
The Paycheck Fairness Act goes a step further by providing
protections for women in the workplace. This legislation addresses
unequal wages by empowering women to negotiate for equal pay and giving
employers incentives to obey current law.
I was happy to hear all the news accounts that I was able to be
briefed on--along with those I listened to on public radio while I was
doing my exercises--the detailed accounts about how
[[Page S2204]]
women are not treated fairly. The legislation we are working on enables
women to fight against wage discrimination while also preventing
retaliation against employees who discuss salary information. Before
Lilly Ledbetter and even today if you discuss what someone else makes
you can be fired. That is the way it is in most places in America. It
would finally give much needed assistance to victims of gender-based
pay discrimination.
Simply put, the Paycheck Fairness Act gives American women the fair
shot they deserve. Unfortunately, efforts to address this issue have
not been well received by Republicans. A similar bill addressing equal
pay--despite a Republican filibuster--passed Congress and the Congress
before that. Let's hope the third time is a charm for American women.
Let's hope Republicans will finally do what is right.
In any other circumstance Republicans would be up in arms with this
type of economic discrimination--I would hope. They should be up in
arms in terms of equal pay for women also. Why is it that so many
Republicans are content to allow women working the same hours in the
same job to make less money than their male coworkers? It is hard to
comprehend, since women make up nearly half the U.S. labor force and
more than half of the people enrolled in college. We are finding that
the majority of students enrolled in professional schools, law schools,
medical schools are women. Is it reasonable to assume that women should
be treated unfairly? Is it reasonable to assume that Republicans in
this body have wives, daughters or sisters who are or will be affected
by this wage disparity and shouldn't we do something about it?
I urge my colleagues to keep those loved ones--people such as my
daughter and my many granddaughters--in their minds and in their
thoughts when considering the question of equal pay for women. We will
have the first vote the day after tomorrow. We will have this vote. To
do otherwise would simply be unfair.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized.
NCAA Championship Kudos
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to take a minute to congratulate
the Kentucky Wildcats for an extraordinary season. My home State has
held on to the NCAA national championship trophy for the past 2 years,
with the Louisville Cardinals claiming it last year and the Kentucky
Wildcats winning it in 2012. John Calipari's young Wildcats started
five freshmen who played like seasoned veterans and made an incredible
run that captivated both our State and the Nation.
While the Commonwealth will now relinquish the trophy to Connecticut,
I only ask that my colleagues, Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal,
see to it that the trophy remains in pristine condition--pristine
condition--as my State will undoubtedly reclaim it next year.
Job Creation Solutions
Mr. President, America's middle class is struggling. They need
serious job creation solutions, but that is not what they have been
getting from the President. He seems more intent on staging campaign-
style rallies to bemoan an economy he has been presiding over for the
last 5\1/2\ years, not to offer solutions but more to do what he does
best, which is to shift the blame to others.
Meanwhile, yesterday in the Senate Republicans were hoping the
majority leader would finally work with us to pass a job creation
package that contains ideas from many of our Members--legislation with
provisions several key Democrats support as well--but that is not what
the majority leader chose to do. Instead of focusing on jobs, he
launched into another confusing attack on the left's latest bizarre
obsession.
Think about that. The percentage of Americans in the workforce is
almost at a four-decade low, and Democrats chose to ignore serious job
creation ideas so they could blow a few kisses to their powerful pals
on the left.
At a time when so many Americans are desperate--desperate for a good
job, at a time of fewer opportunities, people are hurting, college
graduates cannot find a job, working families cannot afford to pay
their bills--what Americans need right now are real job creation
solutions, not some tone-deaf, blame-deflection rally or some daily
bout of shadow boxing on the Senate floor.
Some say this is all embarrassing, but there is one positive side to
the Washington Democrats' never-ending political road show. It throws
the divide between the two parties into stark relief. On the one side
we have a Washington Democratic Party that simply has run out of ideas.
When it comes to fixing the economy, they have tried just about
everything their ideology will allow: taxing, regulating, spending,
stimulating, you name it, and none of it has worked. So at this point
they have basically dropped any pretense of doing anything serious on
the economy. That is why we heard them essentially admit that their
governing agenda is actually a political document drafted by campaign
staff, that the proposals it contains are basically just show votes
designed specifically not to pass. So that is one side of American
politics: a party that is out of ideas, campaign-obsessed, and utterly
beholden to the far left.
On the other side we have a Republican Party that is committed to
getting our economy working for the middle class. We believe in the
power of ideas, and we know that with the right forward-looking
policies we can and will break through the stagnation of the Obama
economy. The Republicans' focus is on offering more opportunity to the
middle class and those who aspire to it. Our focus is on offering
innovative ways to generate the kind of stable, well-paying jobs that
Americans actually want. We also know we can get more done as a country
if both parties can work together to see these policies through and
leave behind the sterile campaign theatrics that have been on daily
display in the Senate under the Democratic majority.
I am asking our Democratic colleagues to consider dropping all the
show votes, the blame deflecting, and the perpetual campaigning. What I
am asking is for them to consider shifting from policies that don't
work--in other words, what they have been trying for the last 5\1/2\
years--to ones that will. Every Senator was sent here to get things
done for our constituents, and we can. We can pass a positive jobs
agenda for the American people. All we need is for Washington Democrats
to work with us for a change.
I have one other item. This morning IRS Commissioner Koskin will
testify before the Finance Committee. I am sure Members will be
reminding him of this, and I know several sent a letter yesterday too.
But I would like to underline the point. Commissioner Koskin led
Congress to believe that his agency will not be imposing anti-free
speech rules before this November's election. It is a point he
basically reiterated again just the other day, so Congress plans to
hold him to what he has been leading the American people to believe.
Honestly, what he really needs to do is to stop the IRS from stepping
on the First Amendment all together. He needs to stop this proposed
regulation just as the Secretary of the Treasury told us he could do if
he wanted. In fact, the House of Representatives recently voted to halt
it too.
Remember, tens of thousands of Americans made their opinions known
directly to the IRS about this regulation. It was an unprecedented
response and nearly all of the comments were opposed. The comments came
from straight across the political spectrum.
Commissioner Koskin needs to live up to what we told the Senate when
we confirmed him when he led us to believe he would be an independent
voice for reform. As I said before, Commissioner Koskin has a choice.
He can be a hero--like the IRS commissioner who stood up to President
Nixon--or he can be another pawn of this administration. Both Congress
and the American people expect him to make the right decision.
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