Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, the chairman of the full committee, I acknowledge the ranking member, and indicate that, as all of us who have come to the floor, this is an enormously historic day. For those of us who know the history of equal pay for women in America, this is a journey long in coming and continuing--first with the Equal Pay Act of some 50-plus years ago; then with the Lilly Ledbetter Act 10 years ago; and now with this historic legislation, the Paycheck Fairness Act--to make good on the idea that women should not be getting less than their male counterparts: African American women earning 61 percent, Latina women earning 53 percent, and Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders earning 62 percent versus White, non-Hispanic men. The most important part of this legislation is the protection given to women today, requiring employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons other than sex. It bans retaliation against workers who wish to discuss their wages. It removes obstacles in the Equal Pay Act to allow workers to participate in class-action lawsuits and improves the Department of Labor tools for enforcing the Equal Pay Act. The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.”