WASHINGTON — Delegate Eleanor Homes Norton (D-DC) has introduced three bills aiming to close the gender pay gap.
Norton is the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She introduced the bills on March 14, a day also known as Equal Pay Day.
Equal Pay Day marks the number of additional days women must work to earn what men earned the prior year.
"Equal Pay Day is an annual reminder that American women earn less than men," Norton said. "I have introduced three bills this Congress to help close the pay gap for women and minorities. These changes are long overdue to help eliminate the entrenched wage disparities in the job market."
The three bills would prevent employers from asking about previous salaries, require equal compensation and may force employers to provide salary ranges in job listings and interviews.
The Pay Equity for All Act
The Pay Equity for All Act would prevent employers from asking job applicants for their salary history before making a job or salary offer.
Norton claims this would help workers from historically disadvantaged groups who often start their careers at a lower pay rate when compared to their white male counterparts. She says those workers may never catch up.
"While employers may not intend to discriminate, asking for prior pay information can have a discriminatory effect and reinforce the pay gap," the release from Norton's office reads.
This bill passed the House last year as part of the Paycheck Fairness Act.
The Fair Pay Act
The Fair Pay Act would require that if men and women are doing comparable work, they must be paid comparable wages.
Norton says it would build on the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by allowing women to show that some or all of a pay disparity is based on gender-segregated comparable jobs.
"For example, if a woman is employed as an emergency services operator, which is a female-dominated profession, she should not be paid less than a fire dispatcher, which is a male-dominated profession, just because these jobs have been historically dominated by one sex," the release reads.
The Salary Transparency Act
The Salary Transparency Act would require employers to provide the salary range for jobs in advertisements and interviews and to existing employees.
Norton says the bill will help reduce the pay gap by requiring employers to provide the salary range for jobs.
"Salary secrecy facilitates both intentional and unintentional pay discrimination and perpetuates the pay gap," Norton's office claims.
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A day to recognize the gap in pay between men and women doing the same work.