Corporate Transparency Bill Helps Needed in Wake of Trump Repeal of Obama Equal Pay Initiative
SACRAMENTO – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) on Monday won final approval from the Legislature to combat a major injustice: the reality that women earn less than men for the exact same work. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown for his consideration.
The Assembly approved the measure Monday on a 44-14 vote after passing the state Senate by a 22-13 margin on Sept. 7.
Studies have proven beyond dispute that women in the U.S. are paid, on average, less than men for doing the same jobs. AB 1209, known as the Gender Pay Gap Transparency Act, will require large companies to report their mean and median salary data by classification and gender to the Secretary of State, who will then post the data online so that consumers can easily see which companies fairly compensate the women who work for them.
“It’s inexcusable that we still have to fight to make sure women in this country get paid fairly,” Assemblywoman Gonzalez Fletcher said. “We can help halt this problem by looking at the hard data. The public should know which companies are paying women less than men for the same job. We should do everything in our power to follow the principle of equal pay for equal work.”
Today’s vote comes just a week after President Trump announced his administration would repeal an Obama-era rule on gender gap wage data collection. The Obama Administration’s program, as well as the Equality Act that went into effect this April in the United Kingdom, include many similar requirements as AB 1209.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher represents California’s 80th Assembly District, located in southern San Diego County, including the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, and National City. She serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace, and Vice Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. For more information on Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher visit https://a80.asmdc.org/
