LARSON STATEMENT ON LILLY LEDBETTER AND PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACTS

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of closing the gender-based pay gap by passing the Paycheck Fairness and Lilly Ledbetter Acts.

Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01), Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said:

“First of all, I want to commend my colleague Congressman Rosa DeLauro for her steadfast work on this issue. She first introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act over a decade ago and has worked against the odds since then to get it passed. Today is a landmark day for her and for women across this country.

“To American families in the midst of an economic crisis, every dollar of income is important.  At a time when too many Americans are seeing their jobs cut and wages slashed, gender should not be another barrier to making ends meet.  So, today the House of Representatives voted to close the gender-based pay gap and give women the opportunity to recoup any lost back pay.  Women should not earn $.77 for every dollar a man earns.  They should not be short-changed hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime of hard work.  This should not occur in America where a woman can be a candidate for president, CEO of a major corporation or Speaker of the House of Representatives.  

“Closing the gender pay gap is the first of many things this Congress will do for working Americans.  As we rebuild and reinvest in our economy, our focus will be on policies that help average Americans first and foremost like tax rebates, job creation and health care reform.”

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