Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7 requires that the employer defense must be consistent with ``business necessity,'' a broad and ill-defined term. We don't know how the courts will interpret this sweeping requirement, but we do know the dictionary says it means ``absolutely essential'' or ``indispensable.'' How can an employer prove that any one factor determining employee pay could rise to the level to be necessary for the survival of the business? Proponents of H.R. 7 will argue this phrase has been adopted from title VII, as amended by the 1991 Civil Rights Act, but the phrase has spawned endless litigation because of its lack of clarity. Anyone who thinks this concept is simple and can just be carried over from title VII is either naive or has been misled. Further, the dubious concept of business necessity was developed under controversial so-called disparate impact analysis and cannot simply be slapped onto the Equal Pay Act, especially where, as mandated by H.R. 7, damages are unlimited. In contrast, under title VII, in disparate impact cases, damages are limited to backpay and benefits. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”