Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment would strike language in the bill that would prohibit the EEOC from using its funds to implement pay data collection. Mr. Chairman, we know that racial and gender pay gaps exist in America. The Obama administration, a few years ago, created the National Equal Pay Task Force, which recommended this new data collection, the EEO-1 form, which would, for the first time, require employers to provide not just data on who is hired by race, sex, and ethnicity, but also to include pay data. The EEOC has collected employer data since 1966. There has been no problem with confidentiality. So for 50 years we have gotten information on the race, sex, and ethnicity of those employed, but we do not have the pay data, and the pay data would expose the pay disparities where all the women are paid less than men. You don't find that on the present EEO-1 form. Recently, the OMB, without warning or transparency, rescinded the EEOC's plan to collect the data, which was to begin in March. This amendment would make it clear that Congress should honor the purpose and spirit of title VII and permit the EEOC to carry out its statutory obligation to collect necessary data needed to enforce civil rights laws. Mr. Chair, I would hope that we would adopt this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”