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HB 705/Equal Pay For Women Act to Go to House Labor Committee

A press conference will be held at 8:00 am Wednesday, May 13 on the Louisiana capitol steps. Rep. Barbara Norton is encouraging all women to wear white to solidify their support to stand with women concerning The Louisiana Equal Pay Act for Women.

HB 705, The Louisiana Equal Pay for Women Act will go before the Louisiana House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee at the Capitol in Baton Rouge in Room 6 on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 9:00 am.

Author, Representative Barbara Norton, (D) House District 3, Shreveport will introduce the legislation and members of sponsoring organizations will testify for the passage of the pay equity act. These sponsoring organizations include American Association of University Women, Louisiana Federation of Business & Professional Women, Louisiana Coalition for the Equal Rights Amendment, Louisiana NOW, The Louisiana Movement, Louisiana Women_s Network, Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta, Concerned Citizens of Shreveport, and the League of Women Voters of Louisiana and others. These organizations represent 1000_s of women and men who want to see this legislation passed in Louisiana.

Rep. Norton states, _House Bill 705 will assure that salaries will be equal after the passage of that bill, regardless of gender, if a job requires equal skill, effort, education, and responsibility. At present, Louisiana is at the bottom in the nation with the largest wage gap of 65 cents for educated women, 25 years and older as compared to every $1.00 that their counterparts receive. The gap is even larger for African American and Latina women. A study conducted by the AAUW found on average that women make $42,500.00 and men make $65,000.00. The national wage gap is $.77 so Louisiana is far below the national average. An injustice has been done to women, not only throughout the state of Louisiana, but our nation as well, and it needs to be rectified.

The question is: Why aren't women receiving equal pay compared to their counterparts?

Call your legislator now or e-mail them to encourage them to vote yes for this important issue to pass in Louisiana. It is time!

For questions or comments, call Author, Rep. Norton at 318-632-5887 or Camille Moran, Lobbying Director for the State of Louisiana, at 318-471-1740. (Source: League of Women Voters of Baton Rouge, LA)