I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1869 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective 
remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the 
basis of sex, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 4, 2017 
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 
PAYNE, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. LAN-
GEVIN, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. CICILLINE, Mrs. CAROLYN B. 
MALONEY of New York, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Ms. MOORE, Ms. JACK-
SON LEE, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. ROSEN, Mrs. 
TORRES, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. POCAN, Mr. HIGGINS of New 
York, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. 
BONAMICI, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARBAJAL, 
Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. KHANNA, 
Mr. KIHUEN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. BEYER, 
Mr. MOULTON, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. 
CAPUANO, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. CASTOR 
of Florida, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. TONKO, Mr. KIND, Ms. WILSON of Florida, 
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. FUDGE, 
Mr. ELLISON, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. HECK, Mr. MCNERNEY, 
Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. 
SWALWELL of California, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CONYERS, 
Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. COOPER, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Mr. PETERS, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. 
ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. NADLER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 
WALZ, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. 
HIMES, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. BERA, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Ms. 
MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, 
Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. KILMER, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. BISHOP of 
Georgia, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. LEVIN, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. LEE, 
Mr. CRIST, Mr. DELANEY, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 
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HUFFMAN, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. VELA, Mr. 
GUTIE´RREZ, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. 
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. WELCH, 
Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New Mexico, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. EDDIE BER-
NICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. HOYER, Mrs. MURPHY of 
Florida, Ms. TITUS, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. 
CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. NOLAN, 
Ms. MENG, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. BASS, Ms. GABBARD, Ms. SEWELL of Ala-
bama, Mr. CLAY, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. KEATING, Mr. LAR-
SEN of Washington, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. 
O’ROURKE, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. LARSON of Con-
necticut, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. JOHNSON of Geor-
gia, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. RUSH, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. CORREA, Mr. 
QUIGLEY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. 
NEAL, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LIPIN-
SKI, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. ESTY, Mr. SOTO, Mr. GON-
ZALEZ of Texas, Mr. POLIS, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. 
PELOSI, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. PLASKETT, 
Mr. RUIZ, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 
COSTA, Mr. PETERSON, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, and Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide 
more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in 
the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Paycheck Fairness 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Women have entered the workforce in 
record numbers over the past 50 years. 
(2) Despite the enactment of the Equal Pay Act 
of 1963, many women continue to earn significantly 
lower pay than men for equal work. These pay dis-
parities exist in both the private and governmental 
sectors. In many instances, the pay disparities can 
only be due to continued intentional discrimination 
or the lingering effects of past discrimination. 
(3) The existence of such pay disparities— 
(A) depresses the wages of working fami-
lies who rely on the wages of all members of the 
family to make ends meet; 
(B) undermines women’s retirement secu-
rity, which is often based on earnings while in 
the workforce; 
(C) prevents the optimum utilization of 
available labor resources; 
(D) has been spread and perpetuated, 
through commerce and the channels and instru-
mentalities of commerce, among the workers of 
the several States; 
(E) burdens commerce and the free flow of 
goods in commerce; 
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(F) constitutes an unfair method of com-
petition in commerce; 
(G) leads to labor disputes burdening and 
obstructing commerce and the free flow of 
goods in commerce; 
(H) interferes with the orderly and fair 
marketing of goods in commerce; and 
(I) in many instances, may deprive workers 
of equal protection on the basis of sex in viola-
tion of the 5th and 14th Amendments. 
(4)(A) Artificial barriers to the elimination of 
discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis 
of sex continue to exist decades after the enactment 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
201 et seq.) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000a et seq.). 
(B) These barriers have resulted, in significant 
part, because the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has not 
worked as Congress originally intended. Improve-
ments and modifications to the law are necessary to 
ensure that the Act provides effective protection to 
those subject to pay discrimination on the basis of 
their sex. 
(C) Elimination of such barriers would have 
positive effects, including— 
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(i) providing a solution to problems in the 
economy created by unfair pay disparities; 
(ii) substantially reducing the number of 
working women earning unfairly low wages, 
thereby reducing the dependence on public as-
sistance; 
(iii) promoting stable families by enabling 
all family members to earn a fair rate of pay; 
(iv) remedying the effects of past discrimi-
nation on the basis of sex and ensuring that in 
the future workers are afforded equal protection 
on the basis of sex; and 
(v) ensuring equal protection pursuant to 
Congress’ power to enforce the 5th and 14th 
Amendments. 
(5) The Department of Labor and the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission have impor-
tant and unique responsibilities to help ensure that 
women receive equal pay for equal work. 
(6) The Department of Labor is responsible 
for— 
(A) collecting and making publicly avail-
able information about women’s pay; 
(B) ensuring that companies receiving 
Federal contracts comply with anti-discrimina-
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tion affirmative action requirements of Execu-
tive Order 11246 (relating to equal employment 
opportunity); 
(C) disseminating information about wom-
en’s rights in the workplace; 
(D) helping women who have been victims 
of pay discrimination obtain a remedy; and 
(E) being proactive in investigating and 
prosecuting equal pay violations, especially sys-
temic violations, and in enforcing all of its man-
dates. 
(7) The Equal Employment Opportunity Com-
mission is the primary enforcement agency for 
claims made under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and 
issues regulations and guidance on appropriate in-
terpretations of the law. 
(8) With a stronger commitment by the Depart-
ment of Labor and the Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity Commission to their responsibilities, increased 
information as a result of the amendments made by 
this Act to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, wage data, 
and more effective remedies, women will be better 
able to recognize and enforce their rights. 
(9) Certain employers have already made great 
strides in eradicating unfair pay disparities in the 
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workplace and their achievements should be recog-
nized. 
SEC. 3. ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT OF EQUAL PAY RE-
QUIREMENTS. 
(a) BONA FIDE FACTOR DEFENSE AND MODIFICA-
TION OF SAME ESTABLISHMENT REQUIREMENT.—Section 
6(d)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 206(d)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘No employer having’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(A) No employer having’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘any other factor other than 
sex’’ and inserting ‘‘a bona fide factor other than 
sex, such as education, training, or experience’’; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) The bona fide factor defense described in sub-
paragraph (A)(iv) shall apply only if the employer dem-
onstrates that such factor (i) is not based upon or derived 
from a sex-based differential in compensation; (ii) is job- 
related with respect to the position in question; (iii) is con-
sistent with business necessity; and (iv) accounts for the 
entire differential in compensation at issue. Such defense 
shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that an 
alternative employment practice exists that would serve 
the same business purpose without producing such dif-
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ferential and that the employer has refused to adopt such 
alternative practice. 
‘‘(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A), employees 
shall be deemed to work in the same establishment if the 
employees work for the same employer at workplaces lo-
cated in the same county or similar political subdivision 
of a State. The preceding sentence shall not be construed 
as limiting broader applications of the term ‘establish-
ment’ consistent with rules prescribed or guidance issued 
by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.’’. 
(b) NONRETALIATION PROVISION.—Section 15 of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 215) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘em-
ployee has filed’’ and all that follows and insert-
ing ‘‘employee— 
‘‘(A) has made a charge or filed any com-
plaint or instituted or caused to be instituted 
any investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action 
under or related to this Act, including an inves-
tigation conducted by the employer, or has tes-
tified or is planning to testify or has assisted or 
participated in any manner in any such inves-
tigation, proceeding, hearing or action, or has 
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