[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6148-S6149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 825--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EQUAL PAY AND 
    THE PAY DISPARITY BETWEEN DISABLED WOMEN AND BOTH DISABLED AND 
                            NONDISABLED MEN

  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Casey, Ms. Cortez 
Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Markey, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Sanders, 
and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 825

       Whereas, more than 60 years after Congress enacted the 
     Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note; Public Law 88-38), 
     an analysis of data from the Bureau of the Census shows that 
     disabled women workers overall are paid an average of 50 
     cents for every dollar paid to nondisabled men;
       Whereas an analysis by the National Partnership for Women & 
     Families of data from the Bureau of the Census shows that--
       (1) for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic, 
     nondisabled men--
          (A) disabled Asian-American and Native Hawaiian and 
     Pacific Islander women are paid 55 cents;
          (B) disabled White, non-Hispanic women are paid 45 
     cents;
          (C) disabled Black women are paid 45 cents;
          (D) disabled American Indian and Alaska Native women are 
     paid 45 cents; and
          (E) disabled Latinas are paid 44 cents;
       (2) disabled women are paid an average of 72 cents for 
     every dollar paid to disabled men;
       (3) disabled people overall are paid an average of 68 cents 
     for every dollar paid to nondisabled people; and
       (4) while disabled people overall experience a wage gap, 
     disabled women, particularly disabled women of color, 
     experience a more significant wage gap;
       Whereas, of the 6 types of disability assessed in the 
     American Community Survey--
       (1) disabled women workers with each type of disability 
     face a wage gap, as compared to nondisabled men; and
       (2) the wage gap is largest for disabled women workers who 
     have difficulty living independently, who are paid just 36 
     cents for every dollar paid to nondisabled men workers;
       Whereas disabled women veterans are paid an average of 62 
     cents for every dollar paid to nondisabled veteran men;
       Whereas the wage gap remains large for disabled women with 
     more education, as disabled women workers with 4 years of 
     college education are typically paid $41,600 per year, which 
     is less than nondisabled men workers with a high school 
     degree as their highest level of education;
       Whereas disabled women experience occupational segregation 
     and are overrepresented in low-paid health care, clerical, 
     and social service jobs;
       Whereas disabled women and men workers who live in 
     institutional group quarters are paid an average of just 
     $9,000 per year for disabled women workers and $11,000 per 
     year for disabled men workers, respectively, while 
     nondisabled men overall are typically paid an average of 
     $50,000 per year;
       Whereas segregated workplaces and the subminimum wage for 
     disabled employees stifle competitive integrated employment 
     for disabled women;
       Whereas many systemic barriers affect access to livable 
     wages and employment opportunities for disabled women, 
     including--
       (1) discrimination;
       (2) public benefits work disincentives;
       (3) a broken health care infrastructure;
       (4) increased employment-related costs;
       (5) inadequate vocational rehabilitation services; and
       (6) a lack of access to supported employment services; and
       Whereas LGBTQI+ disabled people face additional barriers to 
     employment, and more inclusive data on LGBTQI+ disabled 
     workers is needed to determine the added impact on wages and 
     workforce participation, particularly for trans and nonbinary 
     disabled people who are often excluded from data: Now, 
     therefore, be it

[[Page S6149]]

       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the pay disparity between disabled women and 
     both disabled and nondisabled men and the impact of that pay 
     disparity on women, families, and the United States; and
       (2) reaffirms its commitment to supporting equal pay for 
     disabled women, narrowing the gender, disability, and racial 
     wage gaps, and addressing the systemic barriers that drive 
     those inequities.

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