WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today following the recommendations of Vice President Joe Biden and the White House Middle Class Task Force that the Senate pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
“It is not only unfair that women are still making 77 cents for every dollar that men earn- it is also archaic and unacceptable,” said Dodd. “We have come a long way towards achieving equality for women, but the battle is far from over. I have fought for years to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to finally guarantee equal pay for equal work, and I believe the Task Force’s recommendation demonstrates how critical it is that the Senate act on the legislation this year.”
Dodd has been a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act for the past seven Congresses. The bill would put gender-based discrimination on an equal footing with racial or ethnic discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act. It would also make it easier for victims of pay discrimination to participate in class action suits; prohibit employers from punishing whistleblowers; and make it more difficult for employers to justify discrimination under the law. The Paycheck Fairness Act would also strengthen programs designed to monitor compliance with fair pay rules. The legislation currently has 40 cosponsors.
Dodd was also an original cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was signed into law last year. The bill restores the original intent of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by overturning the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber by clarifying that each paycheck resulting from a discriminatory pay decision would constitute a new violation of the law.
