PRINTER'S NO. 3657
No. 676 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY BEBKO-JONES, GOOD, DeWEESE, J. EVANS, JOSEPHS,
GRUCELA, FREEMAN, MUNDY, SURRA, TIGUE, MANDERINO, DONATUCCI,
DiGIROLAMO, DALEY, CORRIGAN, BROWNE, BISHOP, BELARDI, BARD,
ARMSTRONG, FABRIZIO, FICHTER, FORCIER, BALDWIN, GABIG, GEIST,
GERGELY, GINGRICH, HARHAI, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HORSEY, JAMES,
KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LESCOVITZ, LEVDANSKY, MAJOR,
McCALL, McILHATTAN, S. MILLER, PALLONE, PAYNE, PHILLIPS,
PISTELLA, REICHLEY, ROBERTS, ROONEY, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
SCAVELLO, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STURLA, TANGRETTI,
THOMAS, WALKO, WASHINGTON, WATERS, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
McGEEHAN, McGILL AND LEDERER, APRIL 12, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 12, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating April 20, 2004, as "Equal Pay Day" in Pennsylvania.
2 WHEREAS, The number of women entering the work force has been
3 on a steady increase over the past century, with 5.3 million
4 women in the paid work force in 1900 and more than 63 million
5 women working today; and
6 WHEREAS, The Constitution of Pennsylvania prohibits denial or
7 abridgment of equality of rights on the basis of sex; and
8 WHEREAS, The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and Title VII
9 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit pay discrimination for
10 men and women doing the same job; and
11 WHEREAS, Nearly 40 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964
12 was passed into law, the United States Census Bureau reported in
1 2002 that the average woman working year-round full time earns
2 77¢ for every dollar earned by the average man working the same
3 amount of time; and
4 WHEREAS, Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs
5 the average American woman and her family an estimated $523,000
6 in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits and pension;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, According to the National Committee on Pay Equity,
9 it takes the average woman working from January 1, 2003, until
10 April 20, 2004, to earn what an average man earned from January
11 1, 2003, until December 31, 2003; and
12 WHEREAS, Fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply
13 and without undue costs or hardship in the public and private
14 sectors; and
15 WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families today
16 and eases future retirement costs while enhancing the American
17 economy; and
18 WHEREAS, The citizens of this Commonwealth recognize the
19 benefits of equal pay for working men and women and the need for
20 closing the wage gap; therefore be it
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April
22 20, 2004, as "Equal Pay Day" in Pennsylvania and urge support
23 for pay equity throughout this Commonwealth.
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