I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 399 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a grant to a public university 
to establish the Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 9, 2009 
Mr. DINGELL (for himself and Mrs. MALONEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a grant to a 
public university to establish the Center for the Study 
of Women and Workplace Policy. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to a 2003 Government Account-
ability Office report, even after accounting for fac-
tors such as occupation, industry, race, marital sta-
tus, job tenure, and differing work patterns, all of 
which affect earnings, women are paid, on average, 
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80 cents compared to every dollar that men are 
paid. 
(2) According to the same report, the earnings 
gap between men and women has persisted without 
statistically significant changes for the past two dec-
ades. 
(3) According to a 2001 report by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics, the earnings gap among working 
men and women is widest among parents. 
(4) Some women choose to trade advancing in 
their careers or higher earnings for a job offering 
the flexibility to manage family responsibilities 
alongside work. 
(5) According to a 2001 Government Account-
ability Office study, in 1995 and 2000, female full- 
time managers earned less than their male counter-
parts. 
(6) According to the same study, in 7 of the 10 
industries studied, the earnings gap between female 
and male full-time managers actually widened be-
tween 1995 and 2000. 
(7) Women make up 46 percent of the work-
force but represent just 12 percent of all corporate 
officers. 
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(8) A reason for the continuing earnings dis-
parity might be discrimination as to which roles are 
considered acceptable for men and women and how 
women are viewed in the workplace. 
(9) According to the February 2004 Monthly 
Labor Review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 
Department of Labor projects that the United 
States work force is growing at a rate of 1 percent 
per year, in part due to the continually increased 
presence of women. 
SEC. 2. CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WOMEN AND WORK-
PLACE POLICY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
make a grant to an eligible university to establish the 
‘‘Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy’’ 
(referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Center’’). 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA.— 
The Center established under subsection (a) shall 
compile and analyze available data and data sets on 
the difference between the earnings of men and 
women, including the Panel Study of Income Dy-
namics housed at the University of Michigan in Ann 
Arbor, and to identify factors which affect dif-
ferences in earnings. 
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(2) DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS.—The Center 
shall— 
(A) disseminate its findings annually to 
the public, using a website and any other ap-
propriate means; and 
(B) maintain a website to serve as a clear-
inghouse for the data and findings of relevant 
recent studies. 
(3) BEST PRACTICES GUIDES.—Each year, the 
Center shall publish one best practices guide, as fol-
lows: 
(A) BEST
PRACTICES
GUIDE
FOR
BUSI-
NESSES.—Not later than one year after the 
Center is established under subsection (a), the 
Center shall publish a best practices guide for 
businesses containing recommended guidelines 
for— 
(i) workplace equity; 
(ii) retaining women in the workplace; 
and 
(iii) promoting a family-friendly work-
place. 
(B) BEST
PRACTICES
GUIDE
FOR
FAMI-
LIES.—Not later than one year after the publi-
cation of the best practices guide for businesses 
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under subparagraph (A), the Center shall pub-
lish a best practices guide for families, con-
taining information about— 
(i) the policies of various employers 
relating to workplace equity, retaining 
women in the workplace, and promoting a 
family-friendly workplace; 
(ii) strategies for addressing inequity 
in the workplace; and 
(iii) recent findings on inequity in the 
workplace. 
(C) SUBSEQUENT EDITIONS.—The Center 
shall update, revise, and publish a subsequent 
edition of each of the best practices guides 
under subparagraphs (A) and (B) once every 
two years after the initial publication of each 
guide. 
(c) ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY.—In this Act, the term 
‘‘eligible university’’ means a public university— 
(1) with a school of public policy, a school of 
business, a center devoted to the education of 
women, and social research facilities; 
(2) at which research is conducted on— 
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(A) gender differences and levels of 
achievement in the careers of faculty members 
employed by institutions of higher education; 
(B) work experiences of non-tenure-track 
faculty members employed by such institutions; 
(C) policies of such institutions with re-
spect to work and family for tenure-track fac-
ulty members; and 
(D) the number of women employed as 
chief executive officers and directors at large 
publicly held companies; and 
(3) which has designed or is in the process of 
designing a national clearinghouse for information 
concerning gender differences and levels of achieve-
ment in the careers of faculty members and work 
and family policies and issues affecting faculty mem-
bers which includes citations to research and exam-
ples of relevant policies and practices. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after receiv-
ing a grant under this Act, the recipient shall submit to 
the Secretary and to Congress a report documenting how 
the university used the grant funds and evaluating the 
level of success of the Center funded by the grant. 
(e) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—For each of fiscal years 
2010 through 2014, the Secretary shall provide a grant 
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