2016 -- H 8062

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LC005620

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL 12, 2016, AS "EQUAL PAY DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE

ISLAND

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Hearn, Messier, Costa, Williams, and Marcello

     Date Introduced: April 12, 2016

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, The Equal Pay Act was signed 53 years ago however, the wage gap between

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working women and working men has narrowed by less than half a cent per year; and

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     WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Labor and the US Census

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Bureau, among full-time workers, women still earn less than men, earning 78.6 percent of what

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men earn. Additionally, a wage gap persists between the genders when further analyzing by

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educational attainment, age groups, race and ethnicity; and

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     WHEREAS, Economist Evelyn Murphy, president of The Wage Project, estimates that

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during the average 47 years of full-time work the wage gap amounts to a loss in wages for a

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woman of:

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     • $700,000 for a high school graduate;

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     • $1.2 million for a college graduate; and

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     • $2 million for a professional school graduate; and

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     WHEREAS, In 2013, women were more likely to live in poverty (14.5 percent of women

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compared to 11 percent of men). Women therefore have higher rates of economic insecurity than

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do men and are thus more likely to rely on public benefits like Medicaid, the Supplemental

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Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) and housing assistance; and

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     WHEREAS, The wage disparity over a woman's working lifetime has a tremendous

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impact on Social Security benefits and pensions, and in 2010, women 50 and older received only

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56 cents for every dollar received by men in income from pensions and annuities; and

 

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     WHEREAS, The three time, and current, World Cup champion and four time Olympic

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gold medalist United States Women's Soccer Team brought in twenty million dollars more in

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revenue in 2015 for the United States Soccer Federation than did the men's soccer team, yet the

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members of the multiple world champion women's team are paid approximately four times less

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than the men's soccer team members; and

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     WHEREAS, The economic impact of this persistent pay inequality is far-reaching: if

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women in the United States received equal pay with comparable men, poverty for working

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women would be reduced by half and the U.S. economy would add $482 billion (equivalent to

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2.8 percent of 2014 gross domestic product) to its economy; and

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     WHEREAS, Closing the gender wage gap would not only increase women's earnings, it

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would grow each state's economy. Equal pay would provide a significant boost to the economy;

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and

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     WHEREAS, With equal pay, a working woman in Rhode Island would see an average of

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$6,066 increase or a 14 percent increase in pay which is 2.9 percent of the state's gross domestic

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product (GDP); and

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     WHEREAS, In 2015, The Institute for Women's Policy Research estimated that women

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will not receive equal pay until 2059; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Commission on Women is dedicated to leading reforms

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involving equal pay for the women and girls of Rhode Island, and to recognizing the full value of

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women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Commission on Women encourages businesses to

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conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure that women are being paid fairly; and

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     WHEREAS, Fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs

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or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and

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     WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future

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retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and

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     WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 12th symbolizes the date on which the wages paid to

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American women catch up to the wages paid to American men during the previous year; now,

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therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby proclaims Tuesday, April 12, 2016, as "Equal Pay Day" in the

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state; and be it further

 

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Women's Fund of Rhode Island.

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LC005620

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