Bill Text: CA AR51 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to Black Women’s Equal Pay Day.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 61-14-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-08-26 - Read. Adopted. (Page 2843.). [AR51 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AR51-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 51
| Introduced by Assembly Member Weber (Coauthors: Assembly Members Burke, Cooper, Gipson, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Kamlager-Dove, and McCarty) |
August 12, 2019 |
Relative to Black Women’s Equal Pay Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 51, as introduced, Weber.
Digest Key
Bill Text
WHEREAS, More than half a century after the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963, women still struggle to receive equal pay for equal work. Women earn only 80 cents to every dollar a man earns; and
WHEREAS, Equal Pay Day on April 2 marks the time when women, on average, catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year; however, women of color suffer the greatest consequences from pay discrimination; and
WHEREAS, African American women earn about 61 cents on the dollar; therefore, they must work eight additional months to catch up with the amount that men made the previous year; and
WHEREAS, These wage disparities exist for many reasons, including gender and racial discrimination, workplace harassment, and a lack of workplace policies that support family caregiving, which all too often falls on women; and
WHEREAS, The wage gap significantly impacts poverty among African American women and families. More than 80 percent of Black mothers are breadwinners for their families, and nearly one-third of those families live below the poverty level; and
WHEREAS, According to a report by the National Partnership for Women and Families, if the wage gap were eliminated, Black women working full time would have enough money each year to afford an additional two years of tuition at a four-year public university, two years of childcare, or 23 months of rent, approximately; and
WHEREAS, Today, millions of African American women and families are living in poverty and struggling to get by. Their hard work is devalued simply because of their gender and the color of their skin; and
WHEREAS, A lifetime of lower pay means African American women have less income to save for their education, housing, families, and retirement; and
WHEREAS, In order to address this persistent problem, both public and private data gathering is needed so that gaps can be better identified and addressed; and
WHEREAS, As evidenced by the work of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, equitable pay policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and
WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the financial security of individuals and families, enhances the economy and reduces the need for the public safety net; and
WHEREAS, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on August 22 symbolizes the time in 2019 when the wages paid to African American women catch up to the wages paid to men in 2018; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly proclaims Thursday, August 22, 2019, as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day in recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in earnings by African American women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay for all; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
