Dodd’s Gender Pay Equity Bill Passes Legislature

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Equal Pay for Equal Work Act of 2016 by Assemblymember Bill Dodd (D-Napa) passed the state legislature this week with bipartisan support. The Act, also known as Assembly Bill 1890, would ensure companies that do business with the state of California have fair compensation policies and practices that do not unlawfully discriminate based on gender or race. The announcement comes on Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

“Since 1881, AAUW has fought for women’s equality, in voting, in education and in wages. Today, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day, marking the decades of work for women to obtain the vote in 1920.  We continue the fight against wage inequities that still exist for women across California.  The wage gap remains constant and women are still paid less in nearly every occupation. Women and their families suffer the consequences of a pay gap from their first pay check to their last social security check.  It is imperative that our legislature and our Governor continue to support progressive reforms that move toward a more equitable future for all Californians.  AAUW California asks the Governor to sign AB 1890 as one more tool to help us in our fight,” said Sue Miller, Chair of the American Association of University Women of California Public Policy Committee.

The gender pay gap has remained relatively unchanged in recent years, with full-time working women in the U.S. averaging just 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts over the last decade. The disparity is even greater for women of color, and numerous studies have found a gap persists even when controlling for factors like education and career field. In 2014, the pay gap between men and women averaged nearly $11,000 annually in lost income.

“The State of California spends billions of dollars annually on state contracts, and we need to ensure taxpayer money is going to companies that follow our existing gender pay equity laws,” said Assemblymember Dodd. “I’m hopeful Governor Brown will seize this opportunity to have California once again set the example for the nation. We can’t idly sit by and leave a state where my granddaughters are valued less than my grandsons. We owe it to hard working women and future generations to close the pay gap.”

The Act, will require companies that contract with the state to have policies in place to help ensure compliance with the equal pay laws. Additionally, the bill would require contractors to provide the state with data on employee pay by gender and race. Collecting this data will help the state in appropriately targeting its efforts to reduce and eliminate the wage gap in California. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is currently considering similar reporting requirements at the federal level.

“As a society we need to ensure people aren’t paid less for doing the same job simply because of their gender or the color of their skin. The advancement of gender pay equity has been overlooked for too long,” said gender pay equity advocate, K. Patrice Williams, of Vallejo. “This legislation marks another step towards closing the gender pay gap in California. I’d like to thank Assemblymember Dodd for his effort in promoting this positive change.”

Last year, Assemblymember Dodd co-authored the California Fair Pay Act of 2015, which was signed by Governor Brown to create the strongest equal pay laws in the nation. Hoping to build of last year’s success, Assemblymember Dodd’s legislation would advance gender pay equity by ensuring those standards are actually followed by state contractors. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk where it awaits his signature to become law.

Assemblymember Bill Dodd represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Lake, and Colusa Counties. You can learn more about Assemblymember Dodd and the district at www.asm.ca.gov/dodd.