SPONSOR:

Rep. Keeley & Rep. George & Rep. Longhurst & Sen. Blevins

Reps. Barbieri Bennett Brady Briggs King Carson Q. Johnson Kowalko Manolakos Mitchell Oberle Schooley Schwartzkopf Scott B. Short Viola

Sens. Cloutier Connor Hall-Long Henry Katz Marshall McDowell Peterson Sokola Sorenson

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

145th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 35

ESTABLISHING APRIL 20, 2010 AS "EQUAL PAY DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.



WHEREAS, more than forty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, agap in wages for women and minorities persists; and

WHEREAS, despite the fact that women make up half of the American workforce, women on average earn only 77% ofmen's earnings; African American women earn 70% of men's average earnings; Hispanic women earn 62%; Asian American women, 87%; and

WHEREAS, even when experience, education and time in the workforce are factored in, a significant percentage of this differential can only be attributed to discrimination; and

WHEREAS, according to U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn less in every occupational classification for which data is available, including occupations traditionally dominated by women (e.g., registered nurses and teachers); and

WHEREAS, 73% of mothers are working and a majority of families in the United States rely on women's wages to make ends meet; and

WHEREAS, over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, also impacting social security benefits and pensions; and

WHEREAS, fair pay policies can be implemented simply and without undue cost or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress has taken up these concerns with the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009, which restores protection against pay discrimination,and the pending Paycheck Fairness Act, which would ensure effective remedies for wage discrimination and strengthen enforcement of equal pay laws; and

WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 20, 2010 symbolizes the day on which the wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 145th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that Tuesday, April 20, 2010 is designated as Equal Pay Day in the State of Delaware.


SYNOPSIS

This Resolution designates Tuesday, April 20, 2010 as "Equal Pay Day" in the State of Delaware.