IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 117 

Recognizing the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity 

between wages paid to men and women. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2018 

Ms. FRANKEL of Florida (for herself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. BASS, 

Mr. POCAN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. BROWNLEY

of California, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

DELBENE, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. KILMER, 

Ms. BORDALLO, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. WASSERMAN

SCHULTZ, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. CASTOR

of Florida, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, 

Mr. BEYER, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, 

Ms. SPEIER, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. SEAN

PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. TITUS, 

Ms. LEE, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 

PALLONE, Mr. O’ROURKE, Ms. MENG, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. KUSTER of New 

Hampshire, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. NADLER, Mr. MCNERNEY, 

Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. DELANEY, Mrs. BUSTOS, 

Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. 

SWALWELL of California, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. 

EVANS, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate 

the disparity between wages paid to men and women. 


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•HCON 117 IH 

Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 

1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)(1)) prohibits discrimination in 

compensation for equal work on the basis of sex; 

Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 

2000e et seq.) prohibits discrimination in compensation 

because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex; 

Whereas over five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay 

Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note), Census Bureau data 

show that women working full-time, year-round are paid 

80 cents for every dollar paid to men, while Asian-American women working full-time, year-round are paid 87 

cents, White, non-Hispanic women working full-time, 

year-round are paid 79 cents, African-American women 

working full-time, year-round are paid 63 cents, Native 

Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women working full-time, 

year-round are paid 59 cents, American Indian and Alaska Native women working full-time, year-round are paid 

57 cents, and Hispanic women working full-time, yearround are paid 54 cents compared to White, non-Hispanic men; 

Whereas if current trends continue, on average, women will 

have to wait 41 years for equal pay, while African-American women will wait 106 years, and Hispanic women will 

wait 215 years; 

Whereas the disparity in median annual earnings for women 

and men working full-time, year-round is nearly $10,100, 

which can add up to more than $400,000 over a career; 

Whereas the wage gap collectively costs women employed fulltime in the United States more than $840,000,000,000 

in annual lost wages, meaning families have less money 


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•HCON 117 IH 

to spend on goods and services that help drive economic 

growth; 

Whereas the wage gap impacts women’s ability to save for retirement and women’s total Social Security and pension 

benefits, and older women are more likely than men to 

live in poverty; 

Whereas sex discrimination in education, hiring, and promotion has played a role in maintaining a workforce segregated by sex; 

Whereas sex-based wage differentials— 

(1) depress employee wages and living standards 

necessary for their health and well-being; 

(2) reduce family incomes and contribute to the 

higher poverty rates among women and their families; 

and 

(3) prevent the effective and maximum utilization of 

available labor resources; 

Whereas a wage gap exists in nearly every occupational field 

but opening traditionally male jobs to women and reducing occupational segregation by sex increases earnings for 

women; 

Whereas as much as 38 percent of the wage gap is unexplained by observable factors such as variation in educational attainment, industry and occupation, and may 

reflect discrimination; 

Whereas two-thirds of private sector workers report that employers either prohibit or discourage them from discussing their pay, which can keep the existence of pay 

discrimination hidden and prevent remedying that discrimination; 


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•HCON 117 IH 

Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum 

wage or less are women and the concentration of women 

in low-wage jobs is a significant contributor to the wage 

gap; 

Whereas the lack of family-friendly policies, such as access to 

affordable, quality childcare, paid family and medical 

leave, and fair and predictable work schedules, forces 

many caregivers to choose between providing for their 

families financially and ensuring their loved ones receive 

quality care, and contributes to the wage gap; 

Whereas women hold two-thirds of outstanding student loan 

debt, totaling over $800,000,000,000, and are less likely 

to be able to pay off their student loan debt promptly due 

to wage disparities; 

Whereas equal pay strengthens the economic security of families and enhances retirement savings; 

Whereas when women are paid fairly, families are stronger, 

businesses prosper, and American values and the economy are strengthened; 

Whereas if women in the United States received equal pay 

with comparable men, poverty for working women in 

2016 would be reduced by half and the economy would 

have added $512,000,000,000; 

Whereas, April 10, 2018, is Equal Pay Day, marking the day 

that symbolizes how far into 2018 women must work to 

make what men were paid in 2017 alone; and 

Whereas numerous national organizations have designated 

Tuesday, April 10, 2018, as Equal Pay Day to represent 

the additional time that women must work to compensate 

for the average 20 percent lower wages paid to women 

last year: Now, therefore, be it 


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•HCON 117 IH 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the Congress recognizes the significance 

3 of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages 

4 paid to men and women, and its impact on women, fami5 lies, and the Nation. 

Æ 


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