[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 122 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 122
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2022
Ms. Leger Fernandez (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Huffman, Ms.
Bonamici, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Newman, Ms. DeLauro, Mr.
Espaillat, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Carson, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. Norton,
Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Soto, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Ross, Ms. Lois Frankel of
Florida, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr.
Doggett, Ms. Porter, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Adams,
Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Escobar, Ms.
DelBene, Mr. Takano, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Roybal-Allard,
Mrs. Torres of California, Ms. Meng, Ms. Titus, Mr. Thompson of
California, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Gomez, Mr. San Nicolas, Mr.
Levin of California, Mr. Correa, and Mr. Grijalva) 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 December 8, 2022, is Latina Equal Pay Day to observe that Latina women
must work nearly an additional 11 months to earn, on average, what
White, non-Hispanic men were paid in 2021;
Whereas Latina women make up the second-largest group of women workers in the
United States, after White women;
Whereas there are 12,800,000 Hispanic women in the labor force, representing
slightly more than 17 percent of all women in the labor force today;
Whereas the labor force participation rate of Latina women in 2021 was higher
than that of their White counterparts, which reflects that a growing
share of Latina women are either working or actively looking for work;
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 five 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 show that Latina women working full-
time and year-round are paid 57 cents for every dollar paid to White,
non-Hispanic men, while the average wage differential for all Latina
women with reported earnings working full-time, part-time and part-year
is 54 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas a study conducted in 2019 found that on average, Latina women lose over
$1,100,000 in potential earnings over their lifetime to the wage gap;
Whereas the American Community Survey 2016-2020 reported that median annual pay
for Latina women in the United States working full-time, year-round was
$33,000;
Whereas the American Community Survey 2016-2020 reported that median annual pay
for all Latina women with reported earnings working full-time, part-time
and part-year was $25,312, placing a working mother with two children
near poverty;
Whereas job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic distorted measurements of average
wages as women with lower earnings in sectors such as leisure,
hospitality, and retail were more likely to experience job loss and
leave the labor force;
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 51 percent of Latina women are unable to earn sick days through their
jobs;
Whereas more than half of Latina women who are low-wage earners report that they
spent most or all of their savings during the COVID-19 pandemic and 32
percent have no money left for emergencies, compared to 13 percent of
White men;
Whereas the lack of affordable, accessible child care during the COVID-19
pandemic led to 14 percent of Latina women, and 32 percent of immigrant
Latina women, to quit their jobs or reduce their number of work hours to
care for their children;
Whereas the underpayment of Latina women workers causes businesses and the
economy to suffer;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality child care, paid family and
medical leave, and other family friendly workplace policies forces many
Latina women to choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality
care for themselves or their family members, a dynamic that contributes
to the wage gap and has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic, especially as Latina women disproportionately work in
essential jobs that put them at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19;
Whereas if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Latina woman working
full-time and year-round would have enough money to pay for
approximately three years of child care, to pay off her student debt in
one year, or to pay off 19 months of the average mortgage payment;
Whereas 25 to 85 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the workplace,
and research has found that only a small number of those who experience
harassment, or about 1 in 10, formally report incidents for reasons
including lack of access to the complaint process and fear of
retaliation;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or
industry--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 there is a high personal cost for women who have been sexually harassed,
including unemployment, underemployment, and financial stress resulting
from changing jobs, which lead to long-term consequences for earnings
and career attainment;
Whereas two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less in 2020 are women,
and there is a disproportionate concentration of women of color in low-
wage and tipped jobs;
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 build wealth;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the
gender and racial injustices that Latina women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated December 8, 2022, 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 White, non-
Hispanic men 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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