[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   46TH ANNIVERSARY OF EQUAL PAY ACT

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                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 10, 2009

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 
anniversary of an important milestone in our American history.
  Today marks the 46th anniversary of the passage of the Equal Pay Act.
  In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act to prohibit employers from 
wage discrimination on the basis of someone's sex.
  This groundbreaking shift was a game-changer for women who were 
before, and in many places still are, treated as unequals in the 
workplace.
  It was important to level the playing field.
  It was important to provide equal pay for equal work.
  And it's important for us today to remember that we need more game-
changers--that there are more wrongs to right, and that there are 
inequalities and injustices to remedy.
  That those things over which we have no control--our race, our 
gender, our sexual orientation, our disabilities--should not divide us 
or preclude anyone from achieving success and providing for his or her 
family.
  The enactment of the EPA was only the first step, and while women's 
salaries have risen dramatically, we have more work to do to end 
employment and pay discrimination.
  Let's remember that all Americans are created equal and deserve equal 
treatment.
  We should keep that in mind, not just today on this anniversary, but 
every day.

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