[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               EQUAL PAY DAY: TIME TO CLOSE THE WAGE GAP

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Equal 
Pay Day and call for long overdue passage of legislation to strengthen 
the Equal Pay Act.
  According to the American Association of University Women, women in 
my state of New Jersey have a wage gap of 80 percent--for every dollar 
men in New Jersey make, women make only 80 cents. Nationally, it's 78 
cents.
  All told, over the lifetime of work, college educated women will lose 
an estimated $1.2 million as a result of the pay gap.
  The wage gap is not just a women's issue, it's a family issue. Four 
in 10 American households with children now include a mother who is 
either the sole or primary earner for her family. Closing the wage gap 
would allow women to invest more in their children's health and 
wellbeing and help boost economic stability and security for American 
families.
  As a remedy, I twice supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, now 
Public Law 111-2. By overturning the United States Supreme Court 
decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber, we restored and 
enhanced both the protections against pay discrimination in the 
workplace and the remedies available for women who have been 
discriminated against.
  While the Ledbetter law was a clear step in the right direction, the 
numbers demonstrate how much more work we as a society have to do.
  Today, I signed on as a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act--
legislation I have previously supported twice when it was brought to 
the floor of the House for a vote.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act would increase penalties for employers who 
pay different wages to men and women for equal work, create a grant 
program for negotiation skills training for women and girls, and 
increase training and outreach to ensure effective implementation.
  This legislation would build on the Equal Pay Act and the Ledbetter 
law by disincentivizing pay discrimination and encouraging employers to 
enforce equal pay for equal work.
  Mr. Speaker, based on data between 2003 and 2013, AAUW predicts that 
if current trends continue, the wage gap will not close for 124 years.
  Over 50 years after the signing of the Equal Pay Act, we are still 
more than a century away from equal pay.
  The Paycheck Fairness Act is necessary to reverse the current 
trajectory and help accelerate progress to our shared goal of equal 
work for equal pay.

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