House Democrats Return to Session Focused on Economic Opportunity
This week, I brought to the Floor the Paycheck Fairness Act, which represents the latest step in House Democrats' effort to close the gender pay gap in America. Building on the progress made since 2009 with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, this legislation would make it harder for businesses to discriminate against women by paying them less for the same work as men. When President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law in 1963, our country made a promise to women that equal work would mean equal pay. That promise has not yet been kept, with American women earning, on average, only $0.82 for each dollar earned by men. Those figures are even worse for women of color, with African-American women earning $0.63 per dollar and Latinas receiving just $0.55. Women have borne the brunt of the economic fallout during the COVID-19 pandemic, severely scaling back the economic gains made in the last several years, and the Paycheck Fairness Act can help promote greater economic opportunity for women while moving us closer to real equality, which is critical for the tens of millions of families where women are the primary or co-primary breadwinners in their households.
Today, the House passed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. This important legislation would require the Department of Labor to develop and implement safety standards to protect health care and social service workers against workplace violence. We have too often seen examples of employees in the health care and social services industries harmed while they care for patients and work on the front lines of our health care system. We must do more as a nation to protect our health care and social service heroes.
As we look ahead to next week, the House will continue advancing legislation at a swift pace to address the challenges facing our country during this time of crisis. House Democrats will not waver in our commitment
Sincerely yours,
Steny H. Hoyer
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