I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1519 
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 13, 2011 
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. OLVER, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, 
Mr. TOWNS, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. RYAN of 
Ohio, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. ACKER-
MAN, Mr. WU, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. HEINRICH, 
Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. CAPPS, Ms. RICHARD-
SON, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. RUSH, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
LEVIN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. YARMUTH, Ms. 
BALDWIN, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. LUJA´N, Ms. 
SPEIER, Ms. WATERS, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
SARBANES, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. NADLER, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 
MCDERMOTT, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. 
DAVIS of California, Mr. COOPER, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. CHU, Mr. 
DINGELL, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
PETERS, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 
Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. BRADY of Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. GENE GREEN 
of Texas, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. FILNER, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. 
LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. 
BASS of California, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. DOYLE, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. 
DEFAZIO, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. POLIS, Mr. FARR, 
Mr. REYES, Ms. KAPTUR, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. 
ELLISON, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. BACA, Mr. 
CLARKE of Michigan, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. 
STARK, Mr. KIND, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 
CROWLEY, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of Cali-
fornia, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
COURTNEY, Mr. HIMES, Mr. HOYER, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. 
LORETTA
SANCHEZ
of California, Mr. WALZ
of Minnesota, Mr. 
FALEOMAVAEGA, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of Cali-
fornia, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. 
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WAXMAN, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. PRICE of North 
Carolina, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. HIN-
CHEY, Mr. BECERRA, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. 
JACKSON LEE of Texas, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. WELCH, Mr. 
MARKEY, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. TONKO, Mr. PERLMUTTER, 
Ms. FUDGE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. NEAL, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. 
SLAUGHTER, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. BOREN, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. LI-
PINSKI, Mr. WATT, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. PASTOR of Ari-
zona, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. WEINER, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE 
JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. 
KEATING, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. GARAMENDI, and Ms. EDWARDS) 
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: 
(1) Women have entered the workforce in 
record numbers over the past 50 years. 
(2) Despite the enactment of the Equal Pay Act 
in 1963, many women continue to earn significantly 
lower pay than men for equal work. These pay dis-
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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; 
(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; 
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(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 has not worked as 
Congress originally intended. Improvements 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— 
(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; 
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(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-
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; 
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(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, and issues 
regulations and guidance on appropriate interpreta-
tions 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 
workplace and their achievements should be recog-
nized. 
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