Golden to Vote to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act
The Paycheck Fairness Act would close loopholes in Equal Pay Act to address the gender pay gap
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) will vote to pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, through the House today. The legislation would help reduce the disparity in pay between men and women in America by strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963, improving salary transparency, and providing women more tools to fight pay discrimination.
According to data from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, women who work full-time, year-round in Maine earn 83 cents on the dollar compared with Maine men who work full-time, year-round. Given current trends, Mainers will have to wait until 2060 to achieve wage parity between men and women.
"Equal pay for equal work is one of the most strongly supported policies in Maine's Second Congressional District and I hear about it frequently from constituents from all over,"said Congressman Golden. "It's a simple matter of fairness — if you are putting in the same hard work and getting the job done, you deserve equal pay no matter if you are a man or a woman."
The Paycheck Fairness Act would address wage discrimination by:
- Prohibiting employers from asking candidates how much they made in previous jobs;
- Banning rules that prohibit workers from discussing salary information with other workers;
- Requiring employers to disclose salary information; and
- Increasing penalties on employers who violate the Equal Pay Act.
In March, Golden also voted to remove the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would constitutionally prohibit discrimination based on sex.
You can read the text of the bill here.