[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4046]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, more than five decades have passed since we 
signed the Equal Pay Act into law, but in 2016, women still make 79 
cents to the dollar that their male counterparts make. And it is worse 
for women of color. African American women earn 60 cents and Latinas 
earn 55 for every dollar earned by men.
  The Joint Economic Committee, which I am proud to serve on, found 
that women lose out on more than $500,000 throughout their career. And 
this wage gap continues to hurt women when they retire. The median 
income for women 65 and older is 44 percent less than that of men in 
the same age group.
  Every Congress, for nearly 20 years, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has 
introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am thankful for her leadership, 
and I am proud to join her as a cosponsor of the bill, because I am not 
going to stand by while North Carolina women make just 82 cents for 
every dollar earned by men.
  Today on Equal Pay Day, I call on my colleagues to stop shortchanging 
women and our families. Let's pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

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