[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E89]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LEGACY OF LILLY LEDBETTER, EQUAL PAY CHAMPION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 4, 2025

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the incredible 
life and legacy of a woman who never let anything dissuade her from 
fighting for what she knew to be right. My dear friend Lilly Ledbetter 
was a champion for women's equality and trailblazer in the fight for 
economic justice. Today, we honor her immeasurable contributions to our 
movement on the 16th Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 
This is the first anniversary we are commemorating since her passing 
last fall.
  Her story begins in Alabama, where Lilly was born and raised, but it 
did not end there. Lilly was as passionate and fearless as anyone I 
have ever met. Underneath her genteel southern charm, she was an iron 
fist in a velvet glove. She never set out to be a hero, but she became 
one for me and millions of women whose struggles for equal pay and 
workplace fairness, which she elevated.
  In 1979, Lilly accepted a job at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company 
in Gadsen, Alabama. She started there as the only woman in her position 
as an overnight supervisor. By the end of her career 19 years later, 
she was anonymously informed that over her decades of hard work for 
Goodyear she had been receiving 40 percent less pay than her male 
coworkers. Lilly left a quiet retired life behind to wage a righteous 
fight for the pay that she had earned and deserved.
  Her lawsuit made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 against her 
in a contentious decision that rested on a technicality. They reversed 
her jury award of over three million dollars, yet never reached the 
merits of her case. Reversing decades of settled law, they said she 
needed to bring her pay discrimination case when the discrimination 
began, two decades before, even though she didn't know about it. Many 
would have thrown in the towel then. But Lilly knew she was in the 
right, and as always, she refused to give up.
  Lilly then came to Congress, where I had been leading the fight for 
equal pay for decades. She was an eloquent and powerful champion, and 
together we assembled a broad coalition of advocates in support of pay 
equity. In 2009, we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It was the 
first bill President Barack Obama signed into law, restoring the time 
period women have to sue for pay discrimination after receiving a 
paycheck tainted by discrimination.
  It took remarkable perseverance and a relentless desire to see 
justice done. Lilly was attacked in the media and suffered all the 
pitfalls of becoming the public face of an equal rights issue. But as 
long as there was still work to do, Lilly never let that dissuade her. 
Lilly kept traveling the country--speaking out and championing the 
cause of equal pay, and the need for new tools to challenge 
discrimination going forward.
  She did this not because she benefitted from it, but because the work 
is not done. This is a fight that I continue to this day, for her and 
the rest of American women who, on average, still earns only 78 cents 
for every dollar that a man makes, regardless of state or occupation.
  This is what my bill, the Paycheck Fairness Act, is designed to fix. 
The House has passed this bill four times--it is past time for the 
Senate to act.
  In a world where women continue to suffer from intense economic 
pressures, Lilly showed that the power of one woman's relentless 
commitment to justice can make a difference. Because she refused to be 
silent in the face of terrible injustice, and because she exhibited 
such strength and perseverance in seeing a wrong made right, she 
transformed the lives of millions of American women for the better. I 
was consistently inspired by her strength, courage, and selflessness.
  Reflecting on her continuous and persistent efforts, Lilly said, ``I 
told my pastor when I die, I want him to be able to say at my funeral 
that I made a difference.'' While our Nation lost Lilly last year, I 
know she is looking down on us while we continue our fight for economic 
justice. And we are looking up at Lilly and to say, yes, she made a 
difference.
  Lilly Ledbetter was a remarkable woman, a good friend, and a true 
American heroine. We must complete her legacy by ending the gender pay 
gap once and for all.

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