WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Lois Capps applauded the House’s passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 (HR 2831). Capps is an original cosponsor of this legislation introduced in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & RubberCompany. This ruling limited the ability of women and other employees to sue employers for pay discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision effectively overturned longstanding precedence by insisting that employees had to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the employer’s first discriminatory paycheck. This ruling ignored the reality of most workplaces where employees generally do not know enough about how much their co-workers earn, or how pay decisions are made, to file a complaint precisely when discrimination first occurs. This legislation restores and clarifies the traditional interpretation of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act so that workers will be able to file a complaint within 180 days of any discriminatory paycheck, rather than just the first discriminatory paycheck.

“I am proud that the House has taken quick action to address this Supreme Court decision and restore much needed protections to employees’ civil rights,” said Capps, the Chair of the Democratic Women’s Working Group. “The Supreme Court’s decision in the Ledbetter case was a setback for civil rights for all employees. It was a powerful reminder that while women and minorities have made great strides in achieving equal status in our society, there is still work to be done to ensure that all employees are treated fairly in the workplace. This legislation provides employees who have been discriminated against with the tools to seek recourse against discriminatory employers within a reasonable amount of time. Passing this bill today helps restore employees’ confidence that pay discrimination by employers will not go unchecked and it provides a strong incentive for employers to discourage discriminatory pay practices in the workplace.”

As Chair of the Democratic Women’s Working Group, I am proud of how quickly Congress was able to respond to a clear misinterpretation of a law designed to protect individuals from gender discrimination. It has taken us many years to reach a point where Congress wastes no time in correcting an inequity when discrimination against women occurs.

The bill before us today rightly recognizes that victims of pay discrimination should not be punished because they were not aware of the discrimination against them earlier. The Civil Rights Act exists to protect individuals precisely when they find themselves in the situation Lilly Ledbetter found herself in. And it was never meant to be interpreted in a way that provides a loophole for employers to discriminate, but just make sure their employees are kept in the dark for 6 months.

Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.