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Nov. 17, 2010 [h1]GOP Blocks Paycheck Fairness Act in Senate[/h1] [h2]Measure Designed to Reduce Wage Disparities between Men and Women Filibustered by Republicans[/h2]
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The 58-41 vote to take up the Paycheck Fairness Act fell short of the 60 needed to overcome GOP opposition.
Civil rights groups, labor leaders and the Obama administration all supported the bill, which would make employers prove that any disparities in wages are job-related and not sex-based.
Republicans and business groups said the bill would expose employers to more litigation by removing limits on punitive and compensatory damage awards.
President Barack Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" at the pay equity vote and blamed "a partisan minority of senators" for blocking the measure. A similar bill passed in the House last year.
"As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in history, this bill would ensure that American women and their families aren't bringing home smaller paychecks because of discrimination," Obama said in a written statement.
The bill was one of the first measures passed by the House last year after President Barack Obama was elected.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/17/politics/main7064774.shtml
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Amanda Terkel
[email protected]| HuffPost Reporting
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Republicans Block An Up-Or-Down Vote On The Paycheck Fairness Act[/h1]
First Posted: 11-17-10 12:55 PM | Updated: 11-17-10 04:16 PM
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Read More:Ben Nelson, Fair Pay Act, Filibuster, GOP Filibuster, Harry Reid, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Lilly Ledbetter, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Olympia Snowe, Pay Discrimination, Paycheck Fairness Act, Republican Filibuster, Sen. Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sexism, Susan Collins, Wage Discrimination, Women's Rights, Politics News
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WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats were unable to overcome a Republican filibuster of the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday, with the chamber falling two votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and proceed to a vote on the measure that would help combat wage discrimination on the basis of gender.
The vote broke down along party lines with the exception of sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who sided with Republicans and voted against cloture. Not a single member of the GOP broke rank.
Observers closely watched the votes of Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Tex.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), all women senators who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which provides basic protections against wage discrimination.
"Senate Republicans had their latest opportunity to do the right thing, work with Democrats to reduce wage inequality for women, and help the American families they support," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a statement after the vote. "This was a prime opportunity to enact the kind of common-sense, bipartisan solutions to our economic problems that the American people are demanding, but Republicans spurned it."
"Democrats are eager to work with Republicans to address our shared challenges, but compromise is a two-way street," he added. "I am hopeful that moving forward, Republicans put partisanship aside and focus on doing what's right and fair for the American people."
"Forty-five years after passage of the Equal Pay Act, it is unacceptable that women still earn, on average, 77 cents to the dollar earned by men," said National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia Greenberger. "The law needs to be stronger. This persistent pay gap translates to more than $10,000 in lost wages per year for the average female worker. In this difficult economy, in which nearly 40 percent of mothers are primary breadwinners, women shoulder increased responsibility for supporting their families and cannot afford to have employers discounting their salaries."
Among other provisions, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which has already passed the House, would ensure that a law already on the books -- the Equal Pay Act of 1963 -- is properly enforced. It would also make sure that women aren't punished for seeking out information about what their male colleagues are earning in order to ensure they are being paid properly.
Opponents of the legislation, including Collins, have voiced concern that it would lead to "excessive litigation on to the small-business community." "This bill appears to go way beyond the Lilly Ledbetter Act and I am concerned what the impact would be," she said in September.
But in a Slate article, Center for American Progress senior economist Heather Boushey argued, "t strains credulity to imagine that the law would have this attenuated effect. If businesses are worried about more litigation, maybe that's because women armed with knowledge about pay gaps would be more likely to bring suits that have merit to enforce the laws that already exist."
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Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but she was not present in Washington for the vote, instead in Alaska for the wrap-up of the ballot-counting process in her re-election fight against Republican Joe Miller.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Statement from the President on the vote:
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(AP)
The 58-41 vote to take up the Paycheck Fairness Act fell short of the 60 needed to overcome GOP opposition.
Civil rights groups, labor leaders and the Obama administration all supported the bill, which would make employers prove that any disparities in wages are job-related and not sex-based.
Republicans and business groups said the bill would expose employers to more litigation by removing limits on punitive and compensatory damage awards.
President Barack Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" at the pay equity vote and blamed "a partisan minority of senators" for blocking the measure. A similar bill passed in the House last year.
"As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in history, this bill would ensure that American women and their families aren't bringing home smaller paychecks because of discrimination," Obama said in a written statement.
The bill was one of the first measures passed by the House last year after President Barack Obama was elected.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/17/politics/main7064774.shtml
Your request is being processed...
Amanda Terkel
[email protected]| HuffPost Reporting
Become a FanGet Email Alerts from this Reporter
[h1]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]
[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
[/td][td]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/republicans-block-paycheck-fairness-act_n_784849.html#
[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
[/td][td]
[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table]
Republicans Block An Up-Or-Down Vote On The Paycheck Fairness Act[/h1]
First Posted: 11-17-10 12:55 PM | Updated: 11-17-10 04:16 PM
What's Your Reaction:
digg
facebook Twitter stumble redditdel.ico.ushttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/syndication/
Important
Funny
Typical
Scary
Outrageous
Amazing
Innovative
Finally
Read More:Ben Nelson, Fair Pay Act, Filibuster, GOP Filibuster, Harry Reid, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Lilly Ledbetter, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Olympia Snowe, Pay Discrimination, Paycheck Fairness Act, Republican Filibuster, Sen. Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sexism, Susan Collins, Wage Discrimination, Women's Rights, Politics News
894
444views
1,022
Get Politics Alerts
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats were unable to overcome a Republican filibuster of the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday, with the chamber falling two votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and proceed to a vote on the measure that would help combat wage discrimination on the basis of gender.
The vote broke down along party lines with the exception of sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who sided with Republicans and voted against cloture. Not a single member of the GOP broke rank.
Observers closely watched the votes of Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Tex.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), all women senators who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which provides basic protections against wage discrimination.
"Senate Republicans had their latest opportunity to do the right thing, work with Democrats to reduce wage inequality for women, and help the American families they support," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a statement after the vote. "This was a prime opportunity to enact the kind of common-sense, bipartisan solutions to our economic problems that the American people are demanding, but Republicans spurned it."
"Democrats are eager to work with Republicans to address our shared challenges, but compromise is a two-way street," he added. "I am hopeful that moving forward, Republicans put partisanship aside and focus on doing what's right and fair for the American people."
"Forty-five years after passage of the Equal Pay Act, it is unacceptable that women still earn, on average, 77 cents to the dollar earned by men," said National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia Greenberger. "The law needs to be stronger. This persistent pay gap translates to more than $10,000 in lost wages per year for the average female worker. In this difficult economy, in which nearly 40 percent of mothers are primary breadwinners, women shoulder increased responsibility for supporting their families and cannot afford to have employers discounting their salaries."
Among other provisions, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which has already passed the House, would ensure that a law already on the books -- the Equal Pay Act of 1963 -- is properly enforced. It would also make sure that women aren't punished for seeking out information about what their male colleagues are earning in order to ensure they are being paid properly.
Opponents of the legislation, including Collins, have voiced concern that it would lead to "excessive litigation on to the small-business community." "This bill appears to go way beyond the Lilly Ledbetter Act and I am concerned what the impact would be," she said in September.
But in a Slate article, Center for American Progress senior economist Heather Boushey argued, "t strains credulity to imagine that the law would have this attenuated effect. If businesses are worried about more litigation, maybe that's because women armed with knowledge about pay gaps would be more likely to bring suits that have merit to enforce the laws that already exist."
Story continues below
Advertisement
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but she was not present in Washington for the vote, instead in Alaska for the wrap-up of the ballot-counting process in her re-election fight against Republican Joe Miller.
UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.: Statement from the President on the vote:
