Broader Fair Pay Act Remains Mired In Congress

The bill signed today by President Obama deals a blow to the Supreme Court’s trend of narrowing access to the courts, but as noted by TPM and the ACLU, a more far-reaching fair pay act is still pending in Congress. TPM reported that the Paycheck Fairness Act, which it described as a “broader bill addressing pay discrimination” remains mired in Congress. TPM notes that the bill, although approved by the House, has not been considered by the Senate. TPM’s Elana Schor writes that big business lobbyists are “rooting” for the Paycheck Fairness Act to remain bottled up in Congress. Schor cited testimony before a congressional committee “strongly opps[ing]” the paycheck act by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The business group argued that fair pay supporters have not proved discrimination causes disparity in pay, and that women’s choices are to blame for a pay-gap. In its press statement lauding the enactment of the today’s equal pay law, the ACLU noted that, “Now that Congress and the President have restored access to the courthouse, it is time to close the loopholes that make wage discrimination possible by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.”