[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 94 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30829-30830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12287]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 30829]]

                Proclamation 7306 of May 11, 2000

                
 National Equal Pay Day, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Long before President Kennedy signed into law the Equal 
                Pay Act of 1963, women had proved their ability to 
                contribute to America's labor market. During World War 
                II, when labor shortages offered women an unprecedented 
                opportunity to work outside the home, women excelled at 
                jobs traditionally reserved for men. Yet, despite their 
                enormous contribution to maintaining American 
                production lines, women in the workforce were paid less 
                than their male counterparts.

                For most of our Nation's history, in fact, women have 
                served within a sharply segregated workforce, enjoying 
                fewer educational and training opportunities than men 
                and struggling all too often to disprove confining 
                stereotypes about their roles and capabilities. But 
                throughout the decades, women of courage, energy, and 
                determination have continued to enter the workforce and 
                open doors of opportunity for succeeding generations. 
                Today, more women are in the labor force than ever 
                before; the female unemployment rate is at its lowest 
                in more than 40 years; the poverty rate for households 
                headed by women is the lowest ever recorded; and the 
                pay gap has narrowed substantially since 1963.

                Despite these gains, the battle for equal pay for women 
                is far from over. Although 37 years have passed since 
                the passage of the Equal Pay Act, the average woman 
                today must still work an additional 17 weeks a year to 
                earn what the average man earns. That pay gap grows 
                wider as women grow older, and it is widest for women 
                of color. African American women earn 64 cents for 
                every dollar earned by white men, and Hispanic women 
                earn just 55 cents. While some of these disparities can 
                be attributed to differences in education, experience, 
                and occupation--which themselves often reflect 
                troubling inequities--several studies confirm that a 
                significant pay gap persists even after we account for 
                these factors.

                My Administration has worked hard to ensure that every 
                American is treated with fairness and dignity in the 
                workplace, and this year I proposed a $27 million equal 
                pay initiative in my fiscal year 2001 budget to combat 
                unfair pay practices against women. This initiative 
                includes $10 million in funding for the Equal 
                Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to identify 
                more quickly and respond more effectively to wage 
                discrimination. The initiative would also enable the 
                EEOC to launch a public service campaign to educate 
                employees and employers about their rights and 
                responsibilities under equal pay laws. In addition, the 
                initiative includes funding for the Department of Labor 
                to train women for jobs they have not traditionally 
                held, such as those in the high-paying technology 
                sector, and to help employers recruit and train 
                qualified women for nontraditional occupations.

                I have also urged the Congress to strengthen existing 
                wage discrimination laws by promptly passing the 
                Paycheck Fairness Act. This proposed legislation would 
                provide increased penalties for equal pay violations; 
                prohibit employers from punishing employees who share 
                salary information with coworkers; and provide funding 
                for research on wage discrimination and for increased 
                training for EEOC employees who work on wage 
                discrimination cases.

[[Page 30830]]

                Throughout the decades, working women have persevered 
                in their struggle for equal pay, buoyed by an 
                unshakable faith in their own skills and self-worth and 
                a firm commitment to the ideals of our democracy. On 
                National Equal Pay Day, I urge all Americans to join 
                the crusade to secure equal pay for women and to create 
                a just and honorable work environment in which all our 
                citizens are rewarded fairly for their talents, 
                experience, and contributions.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States of America, do hereby proclaim May 11, 2000, as 
                National Equal Pay Day. I call upon government 
                officials, law enforcement agencies, business leaders, 
                educators, and the American people to recognize the 
                full value of the skills and contributions of women in 
                the labor force. I urge all employers to review their 
                wage practices and ensure that all their employees are 
                paid equitably for their work.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-12287
Filed 5-12-00; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P