[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5248]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Mrs. BEATTY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, over 50 years ago, President John F. 
Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, landmark legislation which 
requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay 
for equal work.
  Unfortunately, equal pay for equal work has not become a reality. In 
fact, women are paid between 79 and 80 cents for every dollar that men 
are paid for doing the exact same job. In fact, it takes women until 
tomorrow, April 4, to earn what men were paid in the previous year.
  For women of color, the gap is even wider. In 2015, African-American 
women made 65 cents for every dollar earned by their White male 
counterparts. For Hispanic women, it is even worse. They earn 58 cents 
for every dollar earned by their White male counterparts.
  Women pay a huge price because of the wage gap. Today, families rely 
increasingly on women's wages to make ends meet; and with less take-
home pay, women have less money to cover the everyday needs of their 
family.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to right the wrong. Let's pass 
the Paycheck Fairness Act and send it to the President's desk for 
signature.

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