0:42:21 to 0:42:42( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: the clerk: h.r. 12, a bill to amend the fair labor standards act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination on the basis of sex and for other purposes. the pursuant to section 5-a of rule 5, the gentleman from california, mr. miller, and the gentleman from california, mr. mckeon, each will control 30

0:42:30 to 0:42:50( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: the pursuant to section 5-a of rule 5, the gentleman from california, mr. miller, and the gentleman from california, mr. mckeon, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. miller. mr. miller: thank you. i yield myse madam speaker, members of the

0:42:43 to 0:43:04( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. miller. mr. miller: thank you. i yield myse madam speaker, members of the hoe, in 1963 the equal pay act was passed in the discriminatory practices of paying men and wen differently for performing the same job. the law's principle is thamen and women should be paid based

0:43:05 to 0:43:27( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: on their merits and not on an employer's prejudice. before the equal pay act women in the workplace was paid 59 centon the dollar compared to their le counterparts. things have because of the passage of the act. women earn 80 cents on every dollar that men do.

0:43:28 to 0:43:49( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: it's also very disturbing that african-american women earn only 66 cents on the dollar and hispanic women earn an astonishing 55 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts in the workplace. this wage disparity will cost women anywhere from 00,000 to milon over a lifetime in lost wages and it will follow them right into retirement in the form of smaller pensions

0:43:50 to 0:44:11( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: and reduced social security benefits. it will make their health care work even more expensive. today this house will take a critical step forward to ensure that the equal y act lives up to its promise. over 12 years ago our colleague, rosa delauro from connecticut, introduced a pay check fairness act. in those 12 years she was unable to get a hearing in this

0:44:12 to 0:44:32( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: congress. but she has now received a hearing and later today she will receive passage of this legislation that will greatly strengthen the equal pay act and close many of the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay. currently an employer can refute a pay discrimination

0:44:33 to 0:44:54( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: claim if he or she provides the difference of pay -- any factor other than gender. even factors unrelated to the job. that's just unacceptable. an excuse for equal pay that is not related to the job is no excuse at all. h.r. 12 will ensure that employers either provide equal pay for equal work or provide a

0:44:55 to 0:45:15( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: real business justification for not doing so. they will have to show that any gender based wage differential is a job related not based on the -- not based on or derived from gender-based differential and is consistent with business necessity. h.r. 12 will also prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss

0:45:16 to 0:45:36( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: their pay. many employers have policies for forbidding employees to talk about their pay. this was the case of lilly ledbetter, the subject of the previous legislation that we just considered here this morning. for years, lilly ledbetter was paid less than her male counterparts just because she was a woman. but she was unable to know that because she could not discuss

0:45:37 to 0:45:57( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: her pay with any of the other supervisors or people in the place of employment. that is wrong. and they should be allowed to do that.

0:45:58 to 0:46:18( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: . and seek to rectify them. the bill will also put gender-based discrimination sanctions on equal footing with other forms of discrimination for allowing women to sue for compensatory damages just as business and workers do -- may do under section 1981 for race and national origin discrimination.

0:46:19 to 0:46:39( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: if we are serious about closing the gender pay gap, we must get serious about punishing those who would otherwise scoff at the weak sanctions under the current law. the paycheck fairness act would require the department of labor to continue collecting pay information based upon gender. it also creates a program designed to help strengthen the

0:46:40 to 0:47:00( Edit History Discussion )

George Miller: negotiations skills of girls and women. any pay gap based on gender is unacceptable, especially during these tough economic times. single women who are head of households are twice as likel to be in poverty as single men. for families, especially those living under or near the poverty line, equal pay for women will make a significant difference in their economic well-being.