PRINTER'S NO. 2661
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
584
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, SCHWEYER, DEAN, YOUNGBLOOD, DONATUCCI,
J. HARRIS, SIMS, KINSEY, CALTAGIRONE, PASHINSKI, WHEATLEY,
FRANKEL, ROZZI, FREEMAN, VAZQUEZ, V. BROWN, DRISCOLL,
McCARTER, ROEBUCK, BRADFORD, STURLA, DERMODY, FITZGERALD,
D. MILLER, SCHLOSSBERG, THOMAS, BULLOCK, DAVIDSON, READSHAW
AND KAVULICH, OCTOBER 30, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY, OCTOBER 30, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
conduct a comprehensive 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 this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, During that time, the overall income growth was
driven by an increase of 28.6% in the income of the top 1% of
earners; and
WHEREAS, During that same period, the bottom 99% of earners
in this Commonwealth 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
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most 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
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 wealthiest 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
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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;
and
WHEREAS, The gender wage gap and racial wage gap 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; and
WHEREAS, The wage shortfall is far worse for minority women;
and
WHEREAS, Asian-American women's salaries show the smallest
minority gender wage gap at 90% of white men's earnings; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic women's salaries show the largest minority
wage gap at 54% of white men's earnings; and
WHEREAS, Women face a wage gap in nearly every occupation;
and
WHEREAS, Women are paid less than men in female-dominated
occupations, gender-balanced occupations and 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
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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
minority women versus nonminority women with the same level
of education.
(5) A comparison of wages paid for men and women 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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