[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6607]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      OBSERVANCE OF EQUAL PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, today, as we observe Equal Pay Day, I rise 
with my colleagues and professional women everywhere to say: Women are 
the face of pay equity.
  The Census Bureau reports that, on average, a woman earns 77 cents 
for every dollar earned by a man. More simply, I would have been 
working since the beginning of the year to earn the same annual salary 
as a man who started today, April 22.
  Equal pay is not solely a women's issue, it's a family issue; when 
women aren't paid equally, their families pay the price. There are 
long-term consequences too: lower pay means less Social Security and 
less saved for retirement.
  We have talked for years about closing the wage gap, now we must act. 
Today I was added as the 227th cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, 
joining more than half of this body who believes it is time to 
eliminate gender-based wage discrimination once and for all.
  Congresswoman DeLauro's bill, which she has introduced for the last 
eight years, strengthens enforcement of the Equal Pay Act while 
providing businesses with training and resources to ensure they're in 
compliance.
  Madam Speaker, since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, we have 
made great strides. Wages for women are up, and the pay gap has 
narrowed, but the gap is still far too wide, and women and their 
families are paying a terrible price.
  This is my first year, and my first Equal Pay Day, as a member of 
this House. I genuinely look forward to a time when I don't need to 
remind Americans that Women are the face of pay equity.