Chris Smith: “I have strongly supported the Paycheck Fairness Act and have done so for over two decades. When the legislation finally…”

“I have strongly supported the Paycheck Fairness Act and have done so for over two decades. When the legislation finally got a vote in the House in 2008, I voted ``yes'' I voted ``yes'' again in 2009 and 2019. I have cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act since 2015. In January, I again enthusiastically cosponsored H.R. 7--the Paycheck Fairness Act. In late March, however, H.R. 7 was radically altered during markup in the Education and Labor Committee with a new definition of ``sex'' that according to serious legal analysis will compel employers to subsidize abortion on demand. Because I respect the inherent dignity and value of unborn baby girls and boys who will be put at grave risk of death by dismemberment abortion and chemical poisoning if H.R 7 is enacted in its current form, I will vote ``no'' today. In a letter dated April 14, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said: ``H.R. 7 would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA, among other things, prohibits unequal wages between men and women performing equal work. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 206(d)(l). Wages include all forms of remuneration, including ``frinqe benefits'' such as ``medical, hospital, [and] accident . . . insurance,'' ``life insurance,'' ``retirement benefits,'' and ``leave.'' 29 C.F.R. 1620.10, 1620.11. ``Strengthening federal law to ensure equal compensation for equal work as between men and women is a laudable legislative goal, and we heartily endorse that goal . . .…”