Clinton and DeLauro Reintroduce Bill to Reduce Wage Discrimination
The Paycheck Fairness Act ( H.R. 1338 and S.766) was introduced by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) on Tuesday, March 06, 2007. If signed into law, it would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, more fully addressing the scope of pay discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act would require employers to prove that wage gaps between men and women are not a result of gender discrimination. The bill would also strengthen potential penalties for equal pay violations, and would prohibit retaliation against workers who inquire or disclose information about employers' wage practices. Finally, the bill would establish competitive grant funding for programs that train women and girls on salary negotiation.
Women Work! supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that is long overdue. According to the 2006 Census Bureau, full-time working women, on average, still earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
This year, Women Work! will give voice to the important issue of pay equity during our National Conference, April 22-25. Join us and other national women's advocacy groups for a Capitol Hill Equal Pay Day Rally on April 24 to demand wage equity for women. Confirmed speakers include Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Christine Griffin.
House Committee Holds Hearing on Recent Changes to Welfare
On Tuesday, March 6th, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held an oversight hearing to evaluate the new federal welfare law and regulations. Members of Congress heard testimony from State TANF officials from New York, Nevada, Georgia, California and Washington State.
Under the new TANF law (passed last February) and accompanying regulations (released in June) 50 percent of all families and 90 percent of two parent families in each state's TANF program must participate in “work activities” for twenty to thirty hours a week. These “work activities” are much more narrowly prescribed than in the past; new rules limit States in counting women participating in various education and barrier removal activities. The rules also increase requirements for monitoring and verifying participation in work activities.
During last Tuesday's hearing, several officials testified that the new law and regulations posed great challenges for States and were ultimately harmful to women and families. For example, Nevada Administrator of Welfare and Support Services, Nancy Ford explained that the new policy “mandates a change in the states' focus from assisting families to their highest level of self-sufficiency to focusing on meeting work participation rates and avoiding penalties.”
While it is unlikely that Congress will completely revisit welfare reauthorization this year, Tuesday's hearing indicates that they may be open to making some specific changes that would improve the system for women in economic transition. State officials offered several recommendations: arguing for more flexibility to meet work participation rates through vocational and adult education, through services to address substance abuse and domestic violence, and through job readiness activities. Officials also stressed the need for more child care funding and asked Congress to give States more flexibility with regards to verification and monitoring requirements. Click here to read testimony from the hearing.
(Note: Technically, states have been required to meet a 50 percent work participation rate (90 percent for two-parent families) since 2002. However, states who had reduced their welfare rolls since 1995 received a caseload reduction credit which allowed them to maintain a much lower work rate without being penalized by the federal government. In 2003, only four states – Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Wyoming – were operating at a 50 percent work rate. The new law requires States to either re-earn the credit by showing that they have reduced their welfare rolls since 2005, meet the 50 percent work participation rate, or face financial sanctions.)
Would you like to let Congress know about the impact (or potential impact) of recent TANF changes on your program or community? The Ways and Means Committee is accepting comments for the hearing record until March 20, 2007. Click here for more information. If you are interested in preparing comments and would like Women Work!'s help, please email Erin Mohan at emohan@womenwork.org. |
Senate Panel to Consider Budget Resolution
Later this week, Senate Budget Committee plans to vote on its annual Budget Resolution—the blueprint for federal spending. Although the Budget Resolution does not set funding levels for specific programs—such as Perkins Basic Grants or child care assistance—it has important implications for the amount of funding available to support women's economic security in FY2008. If a Resolution is adopted that sets total spending too low, it can result in cuts later on in the appropriations process and make it impossible to increase funding for programs that need it.
Congress is expected to set higher spending levels than proposed by the President in February, although it is still unclear what those levels might be. The President's Budget included drastic cuts to career and technical education, job training, work supports, and community development.
Once the Committee approves the Budget Resolution, it will go to the Senate floor for a vote. The House Budget committee announced plans last Thursday to consider its Budget Resolution the week of March 19th.
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