Washington, DC – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today joined a minority of senators in support of an amendment to ensure equal pay for equal work. The amendment to the budget resolution introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is based on the Paycheck Fairness Act and would strengthen tools for women to negotiate fair wages. It would also establish protections for women who file complaints of gender-based pay discrimination. The amendment was not adopted in a 45-54 vote.
“Every American, regardless of gender, deserves to be fairly compensated for their hard work,” Bennet said. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but there are more steps we need to take to create a level playing field. It’s disappointing that the Senate could not come together to pass this commonsense amendment. Equal pay for equal work is not only the right thing to do, it’s also good for our economy when many Colorado families depend on more than one income.”
Bennet is a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would protect employees from retaliation for making inquiries or disclosures concerning employee wages. The bill would also seek to enhance data collection, research, and training with regard to pay discrimination. A small minority of senators have blocked earlier versions of the bill in previous sessions of Congress.
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