193
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

RECOGNIZING MAY 11, 2000, AS EQUAL PAY DAY.



 1       WHEREAS, although 37 years have passed since the enactment
 2   of the Equal Pay Act, still, wage discrimination exists today,
 3   and the wage gap continues to close at a slow rate; and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, despite having the same degree of education,
 6   skill, and experience, women are still earning less than man;
 7   and
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, the women in Hawaii earn 82 cents for every dollar
10   earned by men, and even less for women of minority; and
11   
12       WHEREAS, the right for equal pay is not just a women's
13   issue, but one that benefits society as a whole, for when women
14   receive equal pay, their income rises, benefitting the entire
15   family, which increases their purchasing power, and in turn,
16   strengthens the economy; and
17   
18       WHEREAS, as shown by a recent study, pay equity can provide
19   women with the ability to become self-sufficient, and found
20   that nearly 40 percent of today's lower-class working women
21   would not have to be dependent on the state's welfare programs;
22   and
23   
24       WHEREAS, then United States Department of Labor lists
25   instances of wage discrimination in the private sector and
26   found women in professional and executive positions who earned
27   less than their male counterparts; and
28   
29       WHEREAS, being guilty of wage discrimination has cost
30   private companies millions of dollars in back pay, prompting
31   some states to raise the salaries of women and minorities; and
32   
33       WHEREAS, President Clinton has pledged $14,000,000 in
34   support of an Equal Pay Initiative to help employers and
35   workers about their right and responsibilities and joins the
36   Women Legislative Caucus and other women organizations in their
37   effort to eliminate pay inequities by sponsoring legislation
38   seeking to equalize wage differentials between men and women,
39   and minorities that perform the same type of work; now,
40   therefore,

 
Page 2                                                     193
                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State
 2   of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that this body hereby
 3   proclaims May 11, 2000, as EQUAL PAY DAY, and urges all
 4   citizens to take a stand against wage discrimination in the
 5   workplace.
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________