Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  As an original cosponsor of this bill, I am pleased to see this legislation on the House floor today. 

H.R. 11 would correct an injustice and break down barriers to equal pay.  From 1979 until 1998, Lilly Ledbetter worked as a supervisor for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Although Ledbetter initially received a salary similar to the salaries paid to her male colleagues, a pay disparity developed over time.  By 1997, the pay disparity between Ledbetter and her 15 male counterparts had widened considerably, to the point that Ledbetter was paid $3,727 per month while the lowest paid male colleague received $4,286 per month and the highest-paid male colleague received $5,236 per month.  An anonymous note informed Ms. Ledbetter of this discrimination, which had been going on for years, and she immediately filed a complaint in 1998.  A jury found in her favor, but, in a misguided Supreme Court decision, the jury’s verdict was overturned.  According to the Supreme Court, her complaint was too late.

This decision makes it more difficult for employees to sue for pay discrimination under Title VII, which was not the intent of Congress when the title was written into law.  H.R. 11 would clarify that the statute of limitations for suing employers for pay discrimination begins each time they issue a paycheck and is not limited to the original discriminatory action.  This change would be applicable not only to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, but also to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to protect women like Lilly Ledbetter from taking their case for equal pay all the way to the Supreme Court, to support single mothers who may worry whether or not they are being treated fairly by their employers while they provide for their children, and to ensure that daughters entering college can reach their full potential when they graduate. 

Thank you, Madam Speaker.