Ric Keller: “Mr. Speaker, the practical effect of this legislation is to do away with the statute of limitations in employment…”

“Mr. Speaker, the practical effect of this legislation is to do away with the statute of limitations in employment disputes. On May 29, 2007, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Ms. Ledbetter's claim was barred by the statute of limitations. There is a strong public policy reason for having a statute of limitations in the employment context. Witness' memories fade, documents are lost, and employees die. We want these disputes to be resolved while witness' memories are fresh, documents are available, and the employees are alive. The Ledbetter case is a perfect example. Ms. Ledbetter alleged sexual harassment misconduct by a single Goodyear supervisor, yet she waited 19 years after the former supervisor passed away from cancer to file a lawsuit. On June 12, 2007, Ms. Ledbetter testified before our Education and Labor Committee. She stated, ``My story began in 1979 when Goodyear hired me to work as a supervisor in their tire production plant in Gadsden, Alabama. I worked there for 19 years. One of my supervisors asked me to go down to a local hotel with him and promised if I did, I would get good evaluations. He said if I didn't, I would get put at the bottom of the list. I didn't say anything at first because I wanted to try to work it out and fit in without making waves.''”