2012 -- H 8073

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LC02412

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL 17, 2012, AS "RHODE ISLAND PAY EQUITY DAY"

     Introduced By: Representatives Walsh, Tanzi, Tomasso, Cimini, and Costa

     Date Introduced: April 12, 2012

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, Forty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil

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Rights Act, women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay

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differentials; and

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     WHEREAS, According to statistics released in 2011 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year-

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round, full-time working women in 2010 earned only 77 percent of the earnings of year-round,

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full-time working men, indicating little change or progress in pay equity; and 

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     WHEREAS, According to a January 2002 report released by the U.S. Government

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Accountability Office (the investigative arm of Congress), women managers in 7 of 10 industries

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surveyed actually lost ground in closing the wage gap between 1995 and 2000; and

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     WHEREAS, According to an analysis of data in over 300 classifications provided by the

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U.S. Department of Labor Statistics in 2001, women earn less in every occupational classification

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for which enough data is available, including occupations dominated by women (e.g., cashiers,

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retail sales, registered nurses, and teachers); and

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     WHEREAS, Higher education is not free from wage discrimination according to a United

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States Department of Education analysis, which reported that, after controlling for rank, age,

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credentials, field of study, and other factors, full-time female faculty members earn nearly 9

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percent less than their male counterparts; and

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     WHEREAS, Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American

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woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits

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and pensions; 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 17, symbolizes the time in the new year in which the wages

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paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from 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 declares April 17, 2012, as “Rhode Island Pay Equity Day” to

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recognize the full value of women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force, and

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encourages businesses to conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure women are being paid

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fairly; and be it further

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

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Director of the Department of

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Administration, the Personnel Administrator of the Division of Human Resources, and the Co-

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Chairs of the Legislative Commission on Pay Equity.

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LC02412

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