DeLauro Statement on the Paycheck Fairness Act

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) delivered the following statement on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 12) on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation aimed at closing the wage gap between men and women, is, along with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, among the first substantive legislation considered by the House in the 111th Congress.

Below is the text of the remarks (as prepared for delivery).

Madame Speaker, I rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I want to thank Chairman Miller for his tireless commitment to this issue. I know we never could have come this far without his tenacious leadership.

And Speaker Pelosi whose vision and leadership have made pay equity a priority in this Congress.

Earlier this week we convened the 111th Congress and welcomed our new colleagues to the floor –we celebrated this institution’s proudest achievements and honored its great potential. Together we look to the challenges before us with a great sense of responsibility.

Today, the economy weighs heavily on most Americans. Families across this nation are struggling with job insecurity, declining incomes, foreclosures and a financial system in crises.

Women who account for nearly half the workforce feel the effects of this faltering economy with particular force and poignancy. Incomes for women-headed households are down by 3 percent since 2000. Unmarried women have an average household income almost $12,000 lower than unmarried men. And half of all women are in jobs that do not offer retirement plans and retired women are more likely to be poor than elderly men.

With our economy in crisis, so many women on the edge financially feel as if their economic freedom is under assault. Almost 60 percent of women say they are “concerned about achieving their economic and financial goals over next 5 years – 15 points higher than for men.

But we know it does not have to be that way. Today we face a transformational moment. With a new Congress and a new administration we have a new chance to finally provide equal pay for equal work and make opportunity real for millions of American women.

The status quo will not do. The Department of Labor’s own data shows that today, women still earn 78 cents for every dollar men earn, and the marketplace alone will not correct this injustice. We need a solution in law – just as our country has done in the past to bring down discriminatory barriers.

As the National Committee on Pay Equity tells us, pay disparity’s long term impact on women’s lifetime earnings is substantial and can cost a woman anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over her lifetime. And that lack of pay equity translates into less income toward a pension and in some cases Social Security benefits. It is no coincidence that 70 percent of older adults living in poverty are women.

That is why for the first time since it was introduced in 1997, the House passed The Paycheck Fairness Act last summer – our bill to make the Equal Pay Act more effective in combating gender-based pay discrimination.

I am so proud that together with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act is among the first legislative proposals this Congress has chosen to consider. It says something profound about our priorities as an institution and our goals for the months ahead. It says we are a nation that values the work women do in our society.

The Paycheck Fairness Act closes numerous loopholes that have enabled employers to evade liability. It stiffens penalties for employers who discriminate based on gender. And protects employees from retaliation for sharing salary information, with some exemptions. And it would establish a grant initiative to provide negotiation skills training programs for girls and women.

This legislation addresses a real problem with concrete solutions. Last year, working women filed over 800 charges of unlawful, sex-based pay discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We all know Lilly Ledbetter’s story: for so many years, she was shortchanged by her employer. And years later, she was shortchanged again, when the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 against her discrimination claim -- drastically limiting women’s access to seek justice for pay discrimination based on gender.

This week a New York Times editorial supported both bills, saying that, by acting today, we can “signal a welcome new seriousness in Washington about protecting civil rights after eight years of erosion.”

This is our moment to fight for economic freedom and eliminate the systemic discrimination faced by women workers. Because we know what is at stake: Had the Paycheck Fairness Act been the law of the land when Lilly Ledbetter decided to go to court, she would have had a far better opportunity to receive just compensation for the discrimination she endured.

That is why President-elect Obama has said about the Paycheck Fairness Act, “This isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families. It's a question of who we are as a country – of whether we're going to live up to our values as a nation.”

We have spent so long working to change the equation for working women and families -- from raising the minimum wage and expanding the child tax credit, to promoting flex time in the work place and providing adequate support for quality child care. We have seen much progress and the months ahead promise still more. But we must make good on that promise and deliver, not only for women, but for every working family struggling in these challenging economic times – by committing to equal pay for equal work.

Pay equity is not just another benefit to be bargained for, or bargained away. It is about giving women the power to gain economic security for themselves and their families. This body took a major step when it passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act last summer. We return today to carry that momentum forward and finish what we started.

I have always been proud to serve in this institution and revere those lawmakers before us who on previous days took a stand for health care for the elderly or the Civil Rights Act or the Family and Medical Leave Act – and made such an impact on people’s lives. That is the whole reason we are here.

It is my hope that the House acts today to pass both the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and Paycheck Fairness to again, make history for this country. Thank you.