Fighting for Equal Pay and Strengthening Social Security
Last week, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) signed on as an original cosponsor of two landmark pieces of legislation: the Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 7, and the Social Security 2100 Act, H.R. 1902.
Women today earn 20 percent less than their male peers for doing the same work, according to a 2017 report by the American Association of University Women. For women of color, the pay gap is even wider: African-American women earn 63 cents for every dollar their male counterpart makes, while Latina women earn merely 54 cents. The Paycheck Fairness Act, if passed, would build upon the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (Pub.L. 111-2) to provide more effective remedies to victims of paycheck discrimination on the basis of sex, end the practice of pay secrecy, and hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices.
The Social Security 2100 Act, if enacted, would guarantee the fiscal solvency of Social Security through 2100, as well as expand the program for current and new enrollees and reduce tax liability for Social Security recipients. According to a 2018 report published by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, 48 percent of all workers say their biggest retirement fear is that Social Security will be reduced before they are able to retire. Moreover, 80 percent of millennials believe that, by the time they reach retirement age, Social Security will be eliminated altogether.
"Democrats are working ‘For the People,' and these two bills are fundamental examples of our priorities in the 116th Congress," Beatty said. "I am proud to lend my support to these two proposals that will guarantee working women achieve pay equity and ensure that Social Security is around for today's seniors and future generations.
The Paycheck Fairness Act has been referred to the House Education and Labor Committee, and the Social Security 2100 Act is awaiting further consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee. To learn more about House Democrats' "For the People" initiative, please visit www.ABetterDeal.DemocraticLeader.gov.