Congresswoman Sutton Speaks in Support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

January 9, 2009

Statement in Support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

I wish this legislation was not necessary, but sadly, nearly 45 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, pay discrimination still exists.

And in one fell swoop, in the Ledbetter Case, the Supreme Court made it immensely easier for discrimination to prevail at the expense of women and their families across this country and that is unacceptable.

The Court held that Lilly Ledbetter would have had to have filed complaint within 180 days of when her employer began years of discrimination against her - even though there was no way that she could have known that she was being discriminated against.

The Court, in effect, eliminated any real opportunity for victims of long-term gender-based pay discrimination to be made whole and provided employers who engage in pay discrimination for years to do so without consequence.

Let's pass this bill. Thank you."