Congressional Democrats reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Democratic lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act on Wednesday.

"When women succeed, America succeeds," Pelosi said at the ceremonial announcing of the legislation.

The bill would add protections and close loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act, which prohibited wage discrimination by gender, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Meant to close the wage gap in the United States between genders, it includes an allowance for workers to sue for damages in cases of pay discrimination, bans salary secrecy and increases penalties for employers who retaliate against workers who share wage information.

The bill's reintroduction came on the 10th anniversary of President Barack Obama's signing of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which overturned a Supreme Court decision limiting the time period for pay discrimination lawsuits. Ledbetter, the plaintiff in the suit, was present at the ceremony on Wednesday.

The bill was introduced in the House on Wednesday by Rep. Laura DeLauro, D-Conn., and in the Senate by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. A statement by DeLauro said the bill has 240 co-sponsors in the House, including one Republican member, and 45 co-sponsors in the Senate.

"Congress passed the Equal Pay Act more than 50 years ago, but the sad reality is that today women, on average, still only make 80 cents for every dollar men make," Murray said. "For women of color, the pay gap is even worse. African American women working full-time only make 61 cents for every dollar white men make and Latinas on average are paid 53 cents for every dollar their white male colleagues make. The gender wage gap doesn't just hurt women. It hurts families, communities, and our economy."

Democrats have supported the bill for the past 20 years. The Republican-controlled Senate is not likely to pass the bill in its current form, arguing that it makes suing an employer too easy and that since gender discrimination is illegal, it could backfire and keep employers from hiring women. The bill stands a better chance in the Democrat-controlled House, where since 2012, Republicans have voted four times to block it.