PRINTER'S NO. 627
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
71
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY WILLIAMS, FONTANA, McGARRIGLE, GREENLEAF,
DINNIMAN, RAFFERTY, YUDICHAK, SABATINA, BLAKE, BOSCOLA AND
COSTA, MARCH 29, 2017
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 29, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing April 4, 2017, as "Equal Pay Day" in Pennsylvania in
recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in
earnings by women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay
for all.
WHEREAS, More than 50 years after the passage of the Equal
Pay Act of 1963, women, especially minority women, continue to
suffer the consequences of unequal pay; and
WHEREAS, According to a 2016 report by the National
Partnership for Women and Families, women in Pennsylvania earned
a median of $0.80 for each dollar earned by men; and
WHEREAS, As reported by the United States Census Bureau,
women working full time, year-round in 2013 typically earned 82%
of what men earned, indicating little change or progress in pay
equity; and
WHEREAS, According to "Graduating to a Pay Gap," a 2012
research report by the American Association of University Women,
the gender pay gap is evident one year after college graduation,
even after considering controlling factors known to affect
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
earnings, including occupation, hours worked and college major;
and
WHEREAS, The WAGE Project estimates that college-educated
women working full time earn $1.2 million less than their male
peers do over the course of their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed
into law, giving employees the right to challenge a pay gap in
court; and
WHEREAS, Citizens are encouraged to urge their congressional
legislators to introduce and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act,
which, if reintroduced, would amend the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by
closing loopholes and improving the law's effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 4 in 10 mothers are the primary wage
earners in their household and nearly two-thirds are primary or
significant earners, making pay equity critical to families'
economic security; and
WHEREAS, A lifetime of lower pay means that women have less
income to save for retirement and less income accrued in Social
Security or pension benefits; and
WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families and
eases future retirement costs while enhancing the economy;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate April 4, 2017, as "Equal
Pay Day" in Pennsylvania in recognition of the need to eliminate
the gender gap in earnings by women and to promote policies to
ensure equal pay for all.
20170SR0071PN0627 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26