[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EQUAL PAY DAY 2015

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                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize April 14th as Equal 
Pay Day 2015.
  April 14th is not a random date of the calendar; today marks how far 
into the year 2015 a woman must work until her earnings for 2014 and 
these additional months match what a man earned in 2014 alone.
  In my home state of California, for every dollar a man makes, women 
still make just 84 cents. The gender wage gap is even greater for women 
of color. It is unconscionable that 52 years after President John F. 
Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which established the principle of 
equal pay for equal work for women in the workforce, we still have such 
great gender-based pay disparities. This is harmful to our families and 
America's global competitiveness.
  That is why I strongly support the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation 
which would strengthen the 1963 Equal Pay Act and provide effective 
remedies to women who are not being paid equal wages for doing equal 
work. It is time for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am 
also proud to support the Equal Pay Resolution, which recognizes the 
significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages 
paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the 
nation.
  Equal pay is not simply a women's issue--it is an economic issue. 
When women are paid fairly, families and businesses prosper. When 
families and businesses prosper, America prospers.

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