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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2023 02:28 PM |
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| From: | Representative Kristine C. Howard |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Closing the Wage Gap (Formerly HB2869) |
| Women are far more likely than men to take time out of the workforce to raise families or occupy other caregiver roles, such as elder care. When returning to the workforce, these women often find their time away not only counts against them through lack of seniority, but, more perniciously, many employers actively judge candidates’ capabilities solely on what they’ve done most recently. Because of this, many women reentering the workforce find themselves unable to find work in keeping with their actual qualifications. Therefore, the choices are winnowed to taking on debt to receive additional degrees or certifications, accepting underemployment, or simply remaining out of the workforce entirely. This is in substantial part responsible for the wage gap between men and women. To address this, I plan on reintroducing legislation to establish the Phoenix Credit (formerly HB2869), a tax incentive to encourage employers to expand their imaginations as to whom they’re willing to hire. Greatly increasing a candidate’s salary relative to previous employment or bringing a candidate back into the labor force after an absence of two or more years would entitle an employer to a healthy benefit each year the Phoenix employee is with the company, up to three years. The Phoenix Credit will not only help returning workers, but also those who may have been unable to build sufficient resumes due to circumstances beyond their control, such as entering the job market during a recession. Furthermore, this bill will create incentives for companies to create returnships, which are paid, intend-to-hire internships that serve to transition employees back into full-time roles. Finally, this bill will create a tax credit for the Phoenix employees themselves who enter or re-enter in-demand industries identified yearly by the Department of Labor & Industry, thereby addressing labor shortages. The Phoenix Credit is a necessary first step in minimizing the gender pay gap, as well as ensuring fairness and preventing despair in the workforce. |
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Introduced as HB426