On Equal Pay Day Kaptur cosponsors Paycheck Fairness Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Equal Pay Day, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and ensure that women can hold employers accountable for what they earn and challenge pay discrimination.

"Women in Ohio make 75 cents for every dollar a man makes, which is unacceptable. It is time we close the decades-old loopholes that prevent the U.S. from closing the gender pay gap once and for all," said Kaptur. "President Trump said that regarding equal pay, ‘if they do the same job, they should get the same pay.' Well, Mr. President, I couldn't agree more. We must do all we can to lift up mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters in the workforce. Equal pay is good for every community, so let's make it happen."

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) is the lead sponsor in the House of Representatives and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. The Paycheck Fairness Act would close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices. The bill will end the practice of pay secrecy, easing workers' ability to individually or jointly challenge pay discrimination, and strengthen the available remedies for wronged employees.

What is Equal Pay Day?

Equal Pay Day symbolizes the date when women's wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year. Despite making up half the workforce, more than five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, American women still make only 80 cents, on average, for every dollar earned by a man.

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