On the recordNovember 17, 2010
I am very disappointed that the Paycheck Fairness Act was filibustered today. The Paycheck Fairness Act passed the House on January 9, 2009, by a vote of 256-163 and Senate passage is long overdue. This critical legislation will strengthen the Equal Pay Act and close the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay. Although the wage gap between men and women has narrowed since the passage of the landmark Equal Pay Act in 1963, gender-based wage discrimination remains a problem for women in the workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. The Institute of Women's Policy Research found that this wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime in lost wages. Today an average college-educated woman working full time earns as much as $15,000 less than a college-educated male. Working families lose $200 billion in income per year due to the wage gap between men and women. Pay discrimination is hurting our middle class families and hurting our economy. Loopholes created by the courts and weak sanctions in the law have allowed many employers to avoid liability for engaging in gender-based pay discrimination. That is why the Paycheck Fairness Act is so important.
