Hickenlooper, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Address Wage Discrimination, Close Gender Pay Gap

WASHINGTON –
Today, on Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus to reintroduce the
Paycheck Fairness Act
, which would combat pay discrimination and help close the gender pay gap.
“Equal work should always mean equal pay,”
said Hickenlooper.
“Yet, women still earn less for the same jobs. It’s way past time we fixed that and made sure everyone is paid fairly.”
Congress passed the
Equal Pay Act
in 1963 to prohibit sex-based wage discrimination. However, the gender wage gap still exists and, for the first time in 20 years,
widened
in 2023. On average, women were typically paid 75 cents for every dollar paid to a man in 2023, which averaged to be more than
$14,000
in actual pay difference.
The
Paycheck Fairness Act
would strengthen the
Equal Pay Act of 1963
to end pay secrecy policies and strengthen available resources to ensure wronged employees can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. Hickenlooper
previously introduced
the legislation in the last Congress.
Specifically, the
Paycheck Fairness Act
would:
Require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons and are not gender-based disparities
Ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages
Remove obstacles in the
Equal Pay Act
to facilitate participation in class action lawsuits that challenge systemic pay discrimination, by allowing workers to opt-out, rather than requiring them to opt-in
Improve the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) and Department of Labor’s (DOL) tools for enforcing the
Equal Pay Act
by requiring the collection of compensation data from certain employers, including federal contractors
Provide assistance to all businesses to help them with their equal pay practices, recognize excellence in pay practices by businesses, and  empower women and girls by creating a negotiation skills training program
Prohibit employers from seeking the salary history of prospective employees
The full text of the
Paycheck Fairness Act
is
H
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