[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 108 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S5011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 222--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
 FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SHOULD IMMEDIATELY 
  ELIMINATE GENDER PAY INEQUITY AND TREAT ALL ATHLETES WITH THE SAME 
                          RESPECT AND DIGNITY

  Mr. LEAHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 222

       Whereas the Federation Internationale de Football 
     Association (referred to in this preamble as ``FIFA'') 
     awarded $576,000,000 to the 32 teams that competed in the 
     2014 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $15,000,000 to the 24 
     teams that competed in the 2015 Women's World Cup;
       Whereas FIFA awarded $35,000,000 to the team that won the 
     2014 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $2,000,000 to the team 
     that won the 2015 Women's World Cup;
       Whereas FIFA awarded $6,000,000 more in prizes to each team 
     that lost in the first round of the 2014 Men's World Cup than 
     to the team that won the 2015 Women's World Cup;
       Whereas FIFA awarded $420,000,000 to the 32 teams that 
     competed in the 2010 Men's World Cup, but only awarded 
     $10,000,000 to the 24 teams that competed in the 2011 Women's 
     World Cup;
       Whereas FIFA awarded $31,000,000 to the team that won the 
     2010 Men's World Cup, but only awarded $1,000,000 to the team 
     that won the 2011 Women's World Cup;
       Whereas the 2015 Women's World Cup Final had more than 
     25,000,000 viewers in the United States, making it more 
     widely viewed than the Major League Baseball World Series or 
     the National Basketball Association Finals;
       Whereas the 2015 Women's World Cup highlighted the need to 
     eliminate the existing gender pay disparity in prize award 
     structure in athletic competitions that has persisted for 
     decades;
       Whereas the unfair and unjust prize award allocation system 
     used by FIFA sends a terrible message to women and girls 
     around the world about the value of their contribution to 
     sports;
       Whereas, in 2007, Wimbledon finally implemented an equal 
     prize payment structure for all athletes, regardless of 
     gender; and
       Whereas gender should not determine the amount of a prize 
     award that a person or team receives in an athletic 
     competition: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the Federation Internationale de Football 
     Association to immediately eliminate gender pay inequity and 
     to treat all athletes with the respect and dignity those 
     athletes deserve;
       (2) supports an end to the unfair and unjust practice of 
     gender pay inequity in the workplace, including athletic 
     competitions and related prize awards;
       (3) urges all other local, State, Federal, and 
     international organizations to eliminate gender pay inequity; 
     and
       (4) instructs the Secretary of the Senate to submit a copy 
     of this resolution to the President of the Federation 
     Internationale de Football Association.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last week more than 25 million Americans 
watched the U.S. women's soccer team win for the third time soccer's 
most coveted title--the Federation Internationale de Football 
Association (FIFA) World Cup. This thrilling victory was the most 
widely viewed women's soccer game in our Nation's history. Americans 
are proud of this impressive victory, and we applaud these world-class 
athletes for their contributions to our Nation's legacy.
  Anybody walking down the road by our farm house the night of the 
soccer game--we had our windows open--would have heard Marcelle and I 
screaming with joy at the victory.
  But as the celebrations fade, we should all be troubled by the way 
FIFA discriminates against some of the teams that compete in the World 
Cup. The U.S. women's team will receive $2 million for winning the 
Women's World Cup. The 2014 men's World Cup winner was awarded $35 
million. In fact, men's teams that lost in the first round of the 2014 
men's World Cup were awarded $8 million--four times more than the 
champion U.S. women's team. The reason for this extreme disparity? 
Gender.
  So today, I am introducing a Senate resolution that calls on FIFA to 
immediately eliminate this discriminatory prize award structure. 
Opponents of equal prize awards in sports point to revenue as the 
reason behind this disparity. But revenue should not be and cannot be 
accepted as a means for discrimination. In fact, they ought to ask 
this: How many people watched the women's soccer team? Most teams would 
give anything to have that viewership.
  The 24 women's teams that took part in FIFA's tournament are role 
models--not just to women and girls but to men and boys across the 
globe. The World Cup champions should be rewarded for their 
performance, for their grit, and for their teamwork, rather than 
devalued for their gender.
  Nelson Mandela, a person I met often and admired, once said: ``Sport 
has the power to change the world.'' Well, sports bring us together in 
our communities and on the global stage. They remind us what we have in 
common, they inspire us to dream, and they push beyond every boundary.
  This weekend, millions of people watched American tennis star Serena 
Williams win the women's final at Wimbledon, marking her sixth 
championship at the All England Club. The next day, Serbian tennis star 
Novak Djokovic won the men's final on the very same court. Both of 
these athletes competed against the very best players in the world, and 
they were awarded the very same amount of prize money for their 
impressive victories. This is because Wimbledon chose to be on the 
right side of history in 2007 by ensuring pay equity for female and 
male athletes. For years, tennis champions such as Billie Jean King and 
Venus Williams fought for equal treatment for the future champions of 
their sport.
  I hope the story of the American Women's World Cup champions not 
receiving fair treatment will inspire more people to join the fight for 
equal prize awards. With the resolution I introduce today, let the 
Senate be on record in support of fair treatment for all World Cup 
champions as we urge FIFA to change its policy, just as the All England 
Club did years ago.
  The fight for gender equality continues and is a fight worth winning. 
In 2009, I proudly voted for passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay 
Act, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to clarify the statute 
of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay 
discrimination. And I supported Senator Mikulski's Paycheck Fairness 
Act, which would ensure that all Americans receive equal pay for equal 
work.
  We have had a lot of civil rights fights in our Nation's history. The 
battle for true equality has persisted for too long. Let's join 
together. Let's send a powerful message of equality to those who aspire 
to one day become a champion. Equal pay for equal work should no longer 
be an ideal, but instead the reality for all.

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