Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted in support of H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act.  This legislation closes loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act to help eliminate the gender wage gap and ensure women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable.  Congresswoman Fletcher is an original co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, 217-210.

“Today’s vote was an important step forward for women in the workforce.  Equal pay for equal work is good for families and for our economy, especially as we recover from a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted working women,” said Congresswoman Fletcher. “I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation, and I am glad to see it pass the House today.”

58 years after the enactment of the Equal Pay Act, full-time working women still earn just 82 cents, on average, for every dollar a man earns, amounting to a yearly gap of $10,157 between full-time working men and women.  The wage gap is even larger for women of color, with African American women earning only 63 cents for every dollar paid to white men and Latinas earning only 55 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

The Paycheck Fairness Act includes key provisions that require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons and ensure women can receive the same robust remedies for sex-based discrimination that are currently available to those subjected to discrimination based on race and ethnicity.