[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1273]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 8TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 27, 2017

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, Sunday, our country recognizes the eighth 
anniversary of the landmark Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which former 
President Obama signed into law on January 29, 2009.
  Congress passed and President Obama signed this legislation into law, 
the first of his Administration, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court 
decision, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007), 
that severely restricted the time period for filing pay discrimination 
complaints against one's employer.
  In the underlying case, Lilly Ledbetter, a production supervisor at 
the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama, discovered that 
she was being paid less than her male counterparts for nearly two 
decades.
  Then and there, she made the decision to fight back for paycheck 
equality.
  Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court undercut her fight in ruling 
that Ledbetter could not bring a wage discrimination suit under Title 
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 simply because she did not file her 
claim within 180 days of a discriminatory salary decision.
  Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, Ledbetter's fight was not in 
vain because Congress, in 2009, passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay 
Act, which helps ensure fair pay for all Americans by expanding the 
time period in which employees may challenge an employer's compensation 
decision.
  Because of this law, women today have the right to pursue legal 
action for pay discrimination--whenever it occurs.
  Unfortunately, equal pay for equal work has not become a reality.
  In 2015, the pay gap between men and women still remains, as women 
made only 83 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
  And for women of color, that gap is even wider.
  During the same time, African-American women made 65 cents to every 
dollar earned by men.
  Hispanic women, faring even worse than black women, made only 58 
cents to every dollar earned by their White male counterparts.
  Pay disparities not only affect women during their careers, but 
follows them into retirement, reducing pensions and Social Security 
benefits because of a lifetime of lower wages and less money to invest. 
This negative impact is lasting because it affects generations yet 
unborn.
  As we mark this anniversary, let us recommit ourselves to ending 
discrimination against women in all forms.
  In the 115th Congress, I will proudly join the Democratic Caucus in 
continuing the fight for equal pay for equal work, investment in 
employment opportunities for women, and raising the minimum wage. 
Because as we know, when ``Women Succeed, America Succeeds.''

                          ____________________