Today, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D.-Fla.) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which President Obama signed into law on January 29, 2009:
Today, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D.-Fla.) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which President Obama signed into law on January 29, 2009:
“Three years ago today, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first bill signed into law by President Obama. By creating a common-sense system to address paycheck discrimination, it was a critical first step toward achieving fairness for women in the workforce. As the President said during his 2012 State of the Union address – women should earn equal pay for equal work.
But we still need to do more. Ending gender discrimination in people’s paychecks is critically important to my constituents, many of whom live in households headed by women. Women make up nearly half of the labor force, and an increasing number of mothers are the primary or co-breadwinners for American families.
In 2008, women earned only 77 cents compared to a dollar that a man did for the same exact job. This wage gap hurts our families, our businesses and our communities.
President Obama established the Equal Pay Task Force to help enforce existing equal pay laws across the country. We in Congress must act to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2011 – of which I am an original co-sponsor – because America’s women and our families can’t wait.
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U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson is a first-term Congresswoman representing the 17th District of Florida, including Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward Counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school.
