U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) spoke on the House floor today during debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.7), legislation that strengthens and closes loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act, including providing effective remedies for workers who are not being paid equal pay for equal work.
A video of Cicilline’s remarks can be viewed by clicking the image below.
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David N. Cicilline
Paycheck Fairness Act
April 15, 2021
Remarks As Delivered
Mr. Speaker, this nation has made far too little progress in the fight for equal pay in the workplace.
In 2021, women who work full-time year-round are paid on average, only 82 cents for every dollar paid to men. This adds up to over $400,000 in lost wages over the course of a woman’s career.
For women of color, the gender wage gap is a gender chasm with Latinas earning 55 cents, Black women earning 63 cents, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women earning a mere 52 cents for every dollar paid to a white man for the same work.
The long-overdue Paycheck Fairness Act would bring us closer to closing these gaps by ensuring equal pay for equal work. Notably, it would hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices, end pay secrecy, ease workers’ ability to challenge pay discrimination and strengthen the available remedies for wronged employees.
I thank Congresswoman DeLauro for her tireless advocacy on this issue and ask for unanimous consent to enter this letter of support from the National Women’s Law Center into the record.
I urge my House colleagues to vote for this package and close the gender wage gap once and for all.
I yield back.
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