Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague for yielding. I believe all my colleagues can agree that women deserve equal pay for equal work. However, the bill considered today takes the wrong approach to ensure that current equal protections, protections that have been in place since 1963, are reaffirmed and fortified. This bill offers no new protections for women in the workforce. Instead, it makes it more difficult for employers and employees to have an open and informative discussion about hiring and other employment decisions. Perhaps worst of all, it is designed in a way that helps increase the bottom line for lawyers. That is right. The only paychecks that this legislation will increase are paychecks for lawyers. It is unfair to women; it is unfair to the workforce; and it is unfair to businesses. It may come as a surprise to many people that the so-called Paycheck Fairness Act offers no new protections against pay discrimination. Let me repeat that. The legislation being debated today offers no new protections against pay discrimination. Instead, it imposes a one-size- fits-all mandate to one of the most varied and complex workforces in the world. Rather than allowing for informal discussions, the Paycheck Fairness Act strictly limits communications between employers and employees on key hiring decisions. Under this bill, the burden is laid on the backs of employers, and the lack of clarity for employees is simply unworkable.…”