[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 76 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 76
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 20, 2019
Ms. Mucarsel-Powell (for herself, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Soto, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Vela, Mr.
Cardenas, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Carbajal,
Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Torres Small of New Mexico,
and Mrs. Trahan) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
Whereas November 20, 2019, is Latina Equal Pay Day, which marks the day that
symbolizes how long into 2019 Latina women, on average, must work to
make what White, non-Hispanic men were paid in 2018;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C.
206(d)(1)) prohibits discrimination in wages on the basis of sex for
equal work;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.)
prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color,
religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note)
more than 5 decades ago, which establishes that employers shall not
discriminate in wages on the basis of sex but shall provide equal pay
for equal work, Census Bureau data shows that Latina women working full-
time, year-round are typically paid 54 cents for every dollar paid to
White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas if the current trends continue, on average Latina women will have to
wait 205 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Latina woman in the United States working
full-time, year-round is $33,540, which means that, on average, Latina
women lose over $1.1 million dollars in potential earnings over their
lifetime to the wage gap;
Whereas certain groups of Latinas experience even wider pay gaps, with
noncitizen immigrant Latinas being paid just 38 cents for every dollar
paid to White, non-Hispanic male workers;
Whereas lost wages mean Latina women have less money to support themselves and
their families, save and invest for the future, and spend on goods and
services;
Whereas the underpayment of Latina workers cause businesses and the economy to
suffer;
Whereas Latina women's median earnings are less than men's at every level of
academic achievement, with Latina women with less than a high school
diploma earning 18 percent less than White, non-Hispanic men, and Latina
women with an advanced degree earning 20 percent less than White, non-
Hispanic men with the same level of education;
Whereas in the United States, more than 60.3 percent of Latina mothers are
primary, sole or cobreadwinners for their families, but Latina mothers
working full-time, year-round are typically paid only 46 percent as much
as White fathers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality child care, paid family and
medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family friendly workplace
policies force many Latina women to choose between their paycheck or job
and getting quality care for themselves or their family members, and
contributes to the wage gap;
Whereas if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Latina woman working
full-time, year-round would have enough money for approximately 3 years
of child care; more than 3 additional years of tuition and fees for a 4-
year public university, or the full cost of tuition and fees for a 2-
year community college; nearly 4 years of food for her family; more than
18 additional months of mortgage and utilities payments; 2 years of rent
payments; among other basic living expenses;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or
industry, as targets of harassment were 6.5 times as likely as
nontargets to change jobs, or pass up opportunities for advancement, and
this contributes to the gender wage gap;
Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less are women,
and there is a disproportionate concentration of women of color in low-
wage and tipped jobs;
Whereas more than 40 percent of private sector employees say that discussion of
wage and salary information is discouraged and another 25 percent report
that it is formally prohibited, which can hide pay discrimination and
prevent remedies;
Whereas the pay disparity Latina women face is part of a wider set of
disparities Latina women face in homeownership, unemployment, poverty,
access to child care, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multi-faceted strategy that addresses the
gender and racial injustices that Latina women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated November 20, 2019, as Latina
Equal Pay Day to represent the additional time that Latina women must
work into the next calendar year to receive the earnings of their White,
non-Hispanic counterparts in the prior Census year: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Latina women
and its impact on women, families, the economy and our entire
country; and
(2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay and
closing the gender wage gap.
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