Bill Text: CA AR99 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Resolution 99

Introduced

Bill Title: Relative to AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 52-13)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-09 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 65. Noes 0. Page 5156.). [AR99 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AR99-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

House Resolution

No. 99

Introduced by Assembly Member Bains

April 29, 2024

Relative to AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

HR 99, as introduced, Bains.

WHEREAS, More than 50 years after the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963, women, especially women of color, continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, women make $0.82 for every dollar men are paid; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Labor, the median annual earnings for women in 2022 was about $52,000, while the median annual earnings for men in 2022 was about $62,000; and

WHEREAS, The wage gap for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women is $0.80 for every dollar White, non-Hispanic men make; and

WHEREAS, Four out of 10 women experience gender discrimination and are much more likely to work a part-time job compared to men; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 4 in 10 mothers are the primary breadwinners in their households, and nearly two-thirds of mothers are the primary or significant earners, making pay equity critical to the financial security of their families; and

WHEREAS, A lifetime of lower pay means women have less income to save for retirement and less income counted in a social security or pension benefit formula; and

WHEREAS, Women continue to be underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and business, as well as in managerial positions, and are overrepresented in teaching, assistant, and childcare occupations; and

WHEREAS, Fair pay in California would strengthen the security of individuals and families today, regardless of education or socioeconomic status, while enhancing our statewide economy; and

WHEREAS, May 3 symbolizes the day in 2024 when the wages paid to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women catch up to the wages paid to males from the previous year nationwide; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly proclaims May 3, 2024, as AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day in California, in recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in earnings by women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay for all; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.