[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4817]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Mr. POCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I stand with my colleagues to highlight Equal 
Pay Day and call on this body to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
  Equal pay for equal work not only adheres to our country's founding 
principles of justice and equality, but it makes a huge difference to 
the families in Wisconsin. In my district, women are paid 81 cents to 
the dollar that men earn, and across the State of Wisconsin, the number 
is even lower, 78 cents. That equals $10,324 less in wages a year 
between a man and a woman.
  What does $10,324 mean?
  Well, it means almost 2,800 gallons of gas. It means more than a 
year's worth of groceries and almost a year's worth of rent.
  The pay gap has a real effect on the families of Wisconsin. Almost 
230,000 households in Wisconsin are headed by women, and almost a third 
of those fall below the poverty line. Eliminating the wage gap would 
provide much-needed assistance to women whose families depend on those 
salaries.
  I am proud to cosponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act, which makes 
important strides towards ensuring that women finally receive equal pay 
for equal work. This bill improves the lives of Wisconsin women, 
Wisconsin families, and Wisconsin communities. We have an urgent moral 
need to pass it.

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