Congresswoman Sutton Speaks in Support of Paycheck Fairness Act

"Fairness is something we strive for in all aspects of our lives. From an early age, we try to instill in our children the importance of fairness, fair play and equality. But sadly, while we preach fairness on average, women today earn a deplorable 77 percent of what men earn.

The wage gap in my home state of Ohio is even more substantial than the national average. According to the National Women's Law Center, Ohio ranked 30th in the ratio of women's earnings to men's earnings. The Center gave Ohio, along with 46 other states, a failing grade. That is simply unacceptable.

I have read and heard the stories of wage discrimination. We have all heard the story of Lilly Ledbetter, the worker who was a victim of systematic pay discrimination for 19 years

These are the stories of women who have dedicated decades upon decades of their lives to their employers, only to find out that they are compensated at a fraction of the rate of their male counterparts. With every paycheck these women deposit, they and their families are being held back. Their earning potential limited by a factor over which they have no control, their gender, and a factor that has no affect on their job performance.

I would like to read to you a letter my office received on this issue from a college student at the University of Akron. She wrote `Ever since I started working, I have become more knowledgeable of the fact that in most cases men receive a higher pay than women do for the same amount of work.'

We need to send a message to the young women in our country that the status quo is not acceptable. We need to respond to the concerns of our future leaders and show them that we are willing to stand up for their right to earn equal pay for equal work.

This young woman went on to say `Equal pay for equal work is a simple matter of justice for women.' I couldn't say it better myself.

The Paycheck Fairness Act will update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act. This bill will close numerous loopholes in the 45-year old law that has allowed employers to avoid liability for their discriminatory practices.

The American people expect their government to stand up for fairness and justice. The Paycheck Fairness Act is not only about changing the way we treat our working women, it's about paying rent, putting food on the table and paying for college tuition.

We must return to the founding principles of our nation and what has moved us forward in difficult times. Fairness has been at the heart of all that makes America strong and this Congress can not turn away from that."