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Senate Republicans Stymie Paycheck Fairness Act

 

Earlier this week, Senate Republicans blocked debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act (the “Act”), a piece of legislation that sought to combat pay discrimination among women and LGBTQ workers. 

Readers might recall that I had made note of the Act back in April when it was working its way through the House of Representatives.  In principal part, the Act would have required employers to prove that pay disparities between men and women in the workplace were job related (rather than related to sex).  While its passage was no sure thing in the Senate, where 60 votes were needed to advance the Act to President Joe Biden for signature, many were upset with Tuesday’s 49 - 50 vote in the Senate.

Republicans in the Senate characterized the Act as a gift to trial lawyers which they claim would flood the courts with litigation if the Act were passed.  Democrats, naturally, were on the other side of the coin, and claimed the Act was needed to remedy decades of pay discrimination in the workplace.

What is next for the Act?  Well, to be clear, this version of the Act is D.O.A.  I would expect Congressional Democrats to move on to other legislative priorities rather than risk another failure with attempting to pass this legislation.  That likely means that this Act (or a version of it), will not be seen in Congress again until the next legislative session.  As the saying goes, advocates of the Act are down but not necessarily out.


For additional information:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/us/politics/filibuster-pay-equity.html

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