‘‘(B) has inquired about, discussed or dis-
closed the wages of the employee or another 
employee.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) Subsection (a)(3)(B) shall not apply to instances 
in which an employee who has access to the wage informa-
tion of other employees as a part of such employee’s essen-
tial job functions discloses the wages of such other employ-
ees to individuals who do not otherwise have access to such 
information, unless such disclosure is in response to a 
complaint or charge or in furtherance of an investigation, 
proceeding, hearing, or action under section 6(d), includ-
ing an investigation conducted by the employer. Nothing 
in this subsection shall be construed to limit the rights 
of an employee provided under any other provision of 
law.’’. 
(c) ENHANCED PENALTIES.—Section 16(b) of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 216(b)) is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting after the first sentence the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Any employer who violates section 6(d) 
shall additionally be liable for such compensatory 
damages, or, where the employee demonstrates that 
the employer acted with malice or reckless indiffer-
ence, punitive damages as may be appropriate, ex-
cept that the United States shall not be liable for 
punitive damages.’’; 
(2) in the sentence beginning ‘‘An action to’’, 
by striking ‘‘either of the preceding sentences’’ and 
inserting ‘‘any of the preceding sentences of this 
subsection’’; 
(3) in the sentence beginning ‘‘No employees 
shall’’, by striking ‘‘No employees’’ and inserting 
‘‘Except with respect to class actions brought to en-
force section 6(d), no employee’’; 
(4) by inserting after the sentence referred to 
in paragraph (3), the following: ‘‘Notwithstanding 
any other provision of Federal law, any action 
brought to enforce section 6(d) may be maintained 
as a class action as provided by the Federal Rules 
of Civil Procedure.’’; and 
(5) in the sentence beginning ‘‘The court in’’— 
(A) by striking ‘‘in such action’’ and in-
serting ‘‘in any action brought to recover the li-
ability prescribed in any of the preceding sen-
tences of this subsection’’; and 
(B) by inserting before the period the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, including expert fees’’.
(d) ACTION BY SECRETARY.—Section 16(c) of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 216(c)) is 
amended— 
(1) in the first sentence— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘or, in the case of a viola-
tion of section 6(d), additional compensatory or 
punitive damages, as described in subsection 
(b),’’ before ‘‘and the agreement’’; and 
(B) by inserting before the period the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, or such compensatory or punitive 
damages, as appropriate’’; 
(2) in the second sentence, by inserting before 
the period the following: ‘‘and, in the case of a viola-
tion of section 6(d), additional compensatory or pu-
nitive damages, as described in subsection (b)’’; 
(3) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘the first 
sentence’’ and inserting ‘‘the first or second sen-
tence’’; and 
(4) in the last sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘commenced in the case’’ 
and inserting ‘‘commenced— 
‘‘(1) in the case’’; 
(B) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; 
or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) in the case of a class action brought to en-
force section 6(d), on the date on which the indi-
vidual becomes a party plaintiff to the class action.’’. 
SEC. 204. TRAINING. 
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, 
subject to the availability of funds appropriated under sec-
tion 210, shall provide training to Commission employees 
and affected individuals and entities on matters involving 
discrimination in the payment of wages. 
SEC. 205. NEGOTIATION SKILLS TRAINING FOR GIRLS AND 
WOMEN. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor, 
after consultation with the Secretary of Education, 
is authorized to establish and carry out a grant pro-
gram. 
(2) GRANTS.—In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary of Labor may make grants on a competi-
tive basis to eligible entities, to carry out negotiation 
skills training programs for girls and women. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to re-
ceive a grant under this subsection, an entity shall 
be a public agency, such as a State, a local govern-
ment in a metropolitan statistical area (as defined