PRINTER'S NO. 1477
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
326
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY SCHWEYER, SCHLOSSBERG, SCHREIBER, GAINEY, KIM,
THOMAS, YOUNGBLOOD, GOODMAN, McNEILL, DONATUCCI, V. BROWN,
McCARTER, MAHONEY, DeLUCA, GIBBONS AND MURT, MAY 11, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY, MAY 11, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
conduct a study on income inequality in this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Income inequality refers to income which is
distributed in an uneven manner among a population; and
WHEREAS, Between 2009 and 2012, adjusted for inflation,
average incomes increased 3.7% in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In that time frame, the overall income growth was
driven by an increase of 28.6% in the income of the top 1% of
earners, but over that same period, the bottom 99% of earners in
Pennsylvania saw their real incomes decline by 1.1%; and
WHEREAS, The unprecedented degree of income inequality in the
current economic expansion represents a confluence of long-term
and short-term forces; and
WHEREAS, In the short term, real wages have been falling for
most of the workers in this Commonwealth due to the deepest
recession since the Great Depression as well as weak job growth
during the recovery of the recession; and
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WHEREAS, In the long term, the bargaining power of workers in
this Commonwealth has been substantially weakened since 1979
with a decline in the percentage of workers covered by
collective bargaining and a steep decline in the purchasing
power of the minimum wage; and
WHEREAS, In the United States, economists concur that income
inequality has increased significantly nationwide over the last
several decades; and
WHEREAS, Between the end of World War II and the late 1970s,
incomes in the United States were becoming more equal, with
lower incomes rising faster than higher incomes; and
WHEREAS, After remaining relatively constant for much of the
postwar era, the share of total income accrued by the wealthiest
10% of households jumped from 34.6% in 1980 to 48.2% in 2008;
and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, the
long-term increase in income inequality is related to changes in
the nation's labor market and household composition; and
WHEREAS, The wage distribution has become considerably more
unequal, with the highly skilled, trained and educated workers
at the top experiencing real wage gains and those at the bottom
experiencing real wage losses; and
WHEREAS, Between 1980 and 2008, the share of total income
accrued by the richest 1% of households rose from 10% to 21%,
making the United States one of the most unequal countries in
the world; and
WHEREAS, The evolution of income inequality in the United
States is largely driven by the trends at the very top of the
income distribution, as very wealthy households have continued
to accrue an even greater share of the nation's total income;
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and
WHEREAS, The gender wage gap and racial wage gap both
contribute significantly to income inequality; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, over
the last decade, median earnings for women working full time,
year-round, have been just 77% of men's earnings; and
WHEREAS, The gender wage gap affects all women, but for
minority women, the wage shortfall is far worse; and
WHEREAS, Asian-American womens salaries show the smallest
minority gender wage pay at 90% of white males' earnings; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic women's salaries show the largest minority
wage gap at 54% of white males' earnings; and
WHEREAS, Women face a wage gap in nearly every occupation, as
women are paid less than men in female-dominated occupations, in
gender-balanced occupations and in male-dominated occupations;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a
comprehensive study on income inequality in this Commonwealth;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the study include the following:
(1) The factors that have contributed to the significant
increase in income inequality over the last several decades.
(2) The extent to which gender differences in education
levels and occupational fields contribute to the gender wage
gap.
(3) A comparison of the average take-home wages for
working minorities and working nonminorities with the same
level of education.
(4) A comparison of the average take-home wages for
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minority women versus nonminority women with the same level
of education.
(5) A comparison of wages paid for males and females in
female-dominated, gender-balanced and male-dominated
occupations;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
seek input from the Department of Labor and Industry and other
Commonwealth agencies as appropriate and any other group or
individual having information relevant to the study; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the
Governor and the House of Representatives within six months of
the adoption of this resolution.
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