Women Senators Stand Tall for Equal Pay Bill
February 9, 2009
By Kathy Groob, creator ElectWomen.com
In an historic first bill signing, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act. The legislation passed the House of Representatives in sweeping form and came before the Senate for a vote on January 22, 2009. A strong Democratic partisan show of force in the Nancy Pelosi-lead House sent the bill sailing to the Senate where the vote came down along party lines- save four women.
The U.S. Senate is hardly a female-dominated venue, but the small and mighty group of 16* (http://www.ergd.org/Senate.htm) voted on behalf of the daughters, sisters, aunts, wives, mothers and grandmothers in the American workforce. 12 Democrats and four Republicans put pay equity ahead of partisanship when they joined together with their votes to pass the bill.
The Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act amended title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, and for other purposes.
After a week of tough talk on the economy with partisan differences clouding over the euphoria of the inaugural week, one can only wonder if more women in both the House and Senate would result in more cooperation on important issues and less partisan rhetoric.
In the House of Representatives, women make up just 75 of the 435 members with 57 Democrats and 17 Republicans from just 28 states. 19 states have no female representation in Congress at all and 22 of the female members are from California.
A disappointing party-line vote occurred in the House on January 9, 2009 that did pass Lilly’s bill 247-115. Only three Republicans voted in favor of the bill’s passage and those three were men. Shamefully, the 17 Republican women in the House voted against the fair pay act for women.
Although rampant partisanship is nothing new in Congress, and clearly women are not immune from putting party over civil rights, the women of the Senate have shown was is possible. That standing strong together, across party lines, can result in just policy for women.
*There are currently 17 women in the U.S. Senate but Kirsten Gillibrand was not eligible to vote when the bill was called, she took her seat in the Senate on January 27, 2009.
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