NH Delegation Reintroduces Paycheck Fairness Act to Close Gender Wage Gap

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) today reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, bicameral legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable.

“Ensuring pay equity for men and women is about showing every woman that her work is valued the same as a man’s,” said Shaheen. “Despite legislative victories like the Equal Pay Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Act, we still have a long ways to go before we close the pay gap, with women earning just 80 cents, on average, for each dollar a man earns. This legislation will strengthen the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes and ensuring that employers are held accountable. We must never stop fighting for equal pay for equal work.”

“It has been 56 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act and women – especially women of color – on average still don’t receive equal pay for equal work,” said Hassan. “The Paycheck Fairness Act would help address this pay discrepancy by empowering women to fight for what they are truly owed and holding businesses accountable when they discriminate on the basis of sex. I urge all my colleagues in the Senate to support this commonsense bill and finally fulfill the promise our country made to women over half a century ago.”  

“It is completely unacceptable that in 2019 women are still being paid less than men for the same work,” said Kuster. “This doesn’t just hurt women; it hurts their families, communities, and our economy. The Paycheck Fairness Act will correct this injustice by helping to ensure that women are given the compensation they deserve.”

"Despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, women still make just 80 cents on the dollar," said Pappas. "That disparity is even more stark for women of color. I'm proud to co-sponsor common sense reforms like the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the loopholes that are denying women the fundamental right to equal pay for equal work."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen and close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices, ending the practice of pay secrecy, easing workers’ ability to individually or jointly challenge pay discrimination, and strengthening the available remedies for wronged employees. The House legislation has 240 cosponsors (every Democratic Member of the House and one Republican Member) and the Senate legislation has 45 cosponsors.