OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Of 2009 and Paycheck Fairness Act Encouraged to Pass on House Floor
January 27, 2009

... THANK YOU. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN FROM CALIFORNIA CONTINUE TO RESERVE? MR. MILLER: IF YOU CONTINUE TO RESERVE, MR. LEADER, I YIELD TO THE MAJORITY LEADER. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND, MA THE JORT LEADER, IS RECOGNIZED -- THE MAJORITY LEADER, IS RECOGNIZED. MR. HOYER: I THANK THE CHAIRMAN, I THANK THE RANKING MEMBER. I THANK THE UNITED STATES SENATE FOR PSING THIS BILL. I'M PROUD THAT THIS IS THE FIRST BILL THAT WE PASSED IN THIS HOUSE IN THE 111TH CONGRESS. LILY LED BETTER IS A WOMAN OF COURAGE -- LILLY LEDBETTER IS A WOMAN OF COURAGE, OF LEADERSHIP, AND MY DAUGHTERS OWE HER A DEBT OF GRATITUDE IN PASSING THAT BILL, WE RECOGNIZE THAT SEXISM AND DISCRIMINATION CAN STILL CHEAT WOMEN OUT OF THE EQUAL PAY AND EQUAL WORTH. A THEFT OF LIVELIHOOD AND DIGNITY THAT IS ESPECIALLY DAMAGING AS FAMILIES ACROSS OUR COUNTRY STRUGGLE TO PAY THEIR BILLS. AS IF SOMEHOW A SINGLE MOM RAISING CHILDREN COULD DO IT MORE CHEAPLY THAN A SINGLE DAD RAISING THOSE SAME CHILDREN. THAT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. THEN OR NOW. WITHIN MY LIFETIME, SEXISM IN THE WORKPLACE COULD BE BLATANT AND UNASHAMED. BUT TODAY IT DOES SOME OF ITS WORST WORK IN SECRET. WE CAN TAKE A STAND AGAINST IT BY VOTING FOR FINAL PASSAGE TODAY. IT WAS SECRET SEXISM THAT CHEATED LILLY LEDBETTER OUT OF THE THOUSAS OF DOLLARS FOR YEARS AND WE REPEAT HER STORY NOT BECAUSE IT IS UNIQUE AND SHOCKI BUT BECAUSE IT'S TYPICAL. YPICAL OF THE EXPERICES OF SO MANY AMERICAN WOMEN. INDEED, WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD. MRS. LEDBETTER WAS A SUPERVISOR. FOR YEARS SHE WAS PAID LESS THAN HER MALE CO-WORKERS. BUT SHE WAS PAID A DIFFERENTIAL IN SECRET. HER EMPLOYER DIDN'T TELL HER, I'M GOING TO PAY YOU LESS THAN I PAY YOUR MALE COUNTERPARTS WHO DO EXACTLY THE SAME WORK. FOR YEARS SHE WAS LEFT IN THE DARK AND BY THE TIME SHE FINALLY SAW THE PROOF, THE SUPREME COURT SAID IT WAS TOO LATE. IRONIC. I WILL TELL YOU, ON ASSAULT, THERE MAY BE IN SOMETATES NO STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. IN OTHERS THERE MAY BE A STATUTE OF LIMITATION. ESSENTIAL ISLY WHAT HAPPENS HERE, IF THEY -- ESSENTIALLY, WHAT HAPPENS HERE IF THEY KEEP HITTING YOU AND KEEP HITTING YOU MONTH AFTER MONTH AFTER MONTH, IT'S NOT THE LAST HIT THAT COUNTED, IT'S THE FIRST HIT THAT COUNTED. AND YOU COULDN'T SUE FOR THAT WHAT WE WOULD CALL, WE LAWYERS, MISCONDUCT. OTHERS WOULD CALL CRIMINAL CONDUCT. BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSIBILITY THAT LILLY LEDBETTER COULD GET FROM THE EMPLOYER FOR WRONG DOING, FOR BREAKING THE LAW. THERE WAS NO DISPUTE THAT THE LAW WAS BROKEN. IT WAS SIMPLY THAT IT WAS BROKEN IN SECRET. AND SO LILLY LEDBETTER HAD TO SUFFER IN PUBLIC. THE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT EVEN THOUGH MRS. LEDBETTER HAD SUFFERED CLEAR DISCRIMINATION, THE LAW HAD BEEN BROKEN. SHE HAD MISSED THE TIME IN WHICH TO RAISE THE ISSUE. HOW PERVERSE IN A NATION OF LAWS OF JUSTICE, OF EQUITY, THAT WE WOULD SAY, THEY BROKE THE LAW IN SECRET AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT AND YOU COULDN'T FIND IT OUT AND THEREFORE WE WILL NOT REDRESS YOUR RECOGNIZED GRIEVANCE. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE, THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO NOT JUST FOR LILLY LEDBETTER, NOT JUST FOR WOMEN, IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE OUR COUNTRY BELIEVES IN FAIRNESS, IN EQUITY, THAT WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS AND TREAT PEOPLE EQUALLY UNDER THOSE LAWS. THAT IS WHY IT'S SO APPROPRIATE FOR TO US PASS THIS BILL TODAY AND SEND IT TO THE WHO WILL SIGN IT AND ALL OF US WHO VOTE FOR IT AND SEE ITS ENACTMENT WILL BE PROUD AS WELL. I YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN YIELDS BACK THE BALANCE OF HIS TIME. THE GENTLEMAN FROM CALIFORNIA. MR. MILLER: I WOULD BE THE ONLY SPEAKER LEFT TO CLOSE. SO. MR. MCKEON: SO I'LL CLOSE AND THEN YOU'LL -- MR. MILLER: CORRECT. MR. MCKEON: MR. SPEAKER, I YIELD MYSELF THE BALANCE OF MY TIME. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN IS RECOGNIZED. MR. MCKEON: OUR NATION IS FACING SERIOUS CHALLENGES. THE ECONOMIC PICTURE REMAINS BLEAK. WITH SEEMINGLY MORE JOBS LOST ...