House approves bill to close gender pay gap
The House on Wednesday cleared a bill aimed at closing the gender pay gap, marking its first vote on the issue in nearly a decade and notching another political win for the Democratic Party.
All 242 Democrats voted for the measure to tackle gender-based wage discrimination, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her top lieutenants had declared a top priority, with a record 102 women serving in their caucus.
Seven Republicans backed the measure, including its sole Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey.
"This is a game-changer," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who has introduced the bill every year since 1997 and saw its highest-ever level of support this year.
Democrats say they will now attempt to pressure Senate GOP leaders to take up the bill, though Republicans have long warned that the bill would heighten the risks of lawsuits for businesses.
Despite its long odds in the Senate, the so-called Paycheck Fairness Act is another policy achievement for Democrats, who dedicated their agenda this year to "pocketbook" issues after winning the women's vote in last fall's elections by the largest-ever margin.
DeLauro's bill would strengthen the penalties for businesses that discriminate against women with unequal wages, and end the practice of pay secrecy in workplaces. It would also bar retaliation by employers against workers who discuss their salaries with other employees.
It's the first of several policies that Democrats are pushing for women and families this year — which they see as key to retaining their expansive majority in 2020 — including a sweeping family leave proposal.
"After decades of failing to address persistent wage inequity, this is our opportunity to strengthen the Equal Pay Act," House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said, citing an oft-referenced statistic that women make $.80 on the dollar compared with men in the same position.
The pay gap issue also offers a chance for Democrats to hammer Republicans at a time when its own GOP lawmakers acknowledge a crisis of confidence among female voters.
As a counterargument, House Republicans introduced their own bill Wednesday, which appears to be the GOP's first plan to address the gender pay gap. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who authored the bill, said it is more pro-business and would not come with the steep compliance costs of the Democratic bill.
Wednesday's vote marks the third time the House has passed the Paycheck Fairness Act since 2008. The legislation made it to the Senate in 2010, when Democrats controlled the chamber, but it failed to advance without support from a single Republican.
With the most diverse freshmen classes in history, Democrats also added language to the decades-old pay gap bill that focused on closing racial disparities, as well.
"The sad truth is that women, especially of color, are still paid less than their male counterparts for the same job. I know this because it happened to me," Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) said on the floor. The third-term Democrat recalled that she was forced to leave a job at a male-dominated company, where she sold steel, after she was refused the same pay as her white, male colleagues.
"I had to leave a job that I loved because I wasn't getting my fair share," Torres said.
Source: Sarah Ferris