Todd Tiahrt: “today we debate a bill with a good title that fails to make one single step toward the purported goal. H.R. 12, the…”

“today we debate a bill with a good title that fails to make one single step toward the purported goal. H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act, is being advanced as a bill to protect women from wage discrimination, but this bill is really about increasing lawsuits, not protecting women. I join my colleagues in rejecting wage discrimination. The American Dream is not possible without wage fairness. This debate, however, is not about wage fairness; it is about this Democrat majority rewarding one of their most loyal special interest groups--trial lawyers. For more than 40 years, the 1963 Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act have made it illegal for employers to determine an employee's pay-scale based on his or her gender. I whole-heartedly agree with and support these laws. Every American should be able to work hard, and make a living for his or her family. We cannot tolerate gender discrimination in the workplace. Instead of strengthening these laws, H.R. 12 offers no additional protection from discrimination. It simply expands opportunities for trial lawyers to cash-in under existing nondiscrimination laws. By opening discrimination claims to unlimited compensatory and punitive damages, H.R. 12 will give great incentives to trial lawyers to bring frivolous claims. Such claims will inevitably lead to higher costs to businesses at a time when so many are struggling to remain open. High business costs often lead to job cuts.”