On Tuesday, President Obama urged Congress again to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, stating that the measure would help ensure that women get equal pay for equal work. The legislation (H.R. 12, S. 182) would make it easier for women to sue employers (except for the government) for compensatory or punitive damages, instead of just back pay if they make less than men.
The House passed the bill in 2009, but it failed in the Senate. Now the White House has pushed the effort back into the spotlight. Sure, it is noble to promote equality among Americans and appreciation for good, hard work, but it is not in our best interest to have Congress meddling in business if their action may actually impede business. House Republicans have called the bill “a cruel hoax,” adding that the bill could benefit trial lawyers more than women and make it harder for businesses to grow and hire new workers. Worse still, proponents of the measure assert that women are victims of systemic discrimination when they aren’t, as Carrie Lukas has noted.
IWF has written extensively on the topic, so click here to get informed!