Disorderly Conduct: The House of Representatives Should Allow a Vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act

As children, we all learn the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated. This basic rule, however, appears to have been left out of Robert’s Rules of Order, a widely used authority on parliamentary procedure and the basis for many of the rules in the U.S. Congress. Of course, we need rules and order, but if you’ve ever seen the Prime Minister’s Questions on CSPAN then you understand that parliamentary procedure does not dictate collegiality.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted on the rules of debate for H.R. 1120 – a bill concerning the functioning of the National Labor Relations Board. Unfortunately, a little discussion of the rules for debate in the House of Representatives is necessary, but I’ll keep it simple. For just about every bill introduced in the House, the Representatives first vote on the rules of debate for the bill. Before they take the vote, someone must “call the previous question” in order to end debate. Then the Representatives vote yes or no on the motion. 

This is the kind of procedural rule that is confusing and obscure enough that the majority party in the House is able to use it to its advantage – and often does. This time it was used to prevent a vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act.  Doesn’t seem like they are following the Golden Rule now, does it?

It’s not too late, though! Yesterday morning, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) filed a discharge petition on the Paycheck Fairness Act that would force the bill to the House floor for a vote.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is vital to ending compensation discrimination. It would prohibit retaliation against workers who discuss their salaries, improve remedies for employees who have been discriminated against, and increase transparency into salary decisions. Here are some basic facts that make it critical to move forward on this bill:

1. The wage gap is real: women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. It’s even worse for African American and Hispanic women, who make 60 and 55 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by a man; and
2. The wage gap has been stagnant for a decade: The Equal Pay Act made great strides in eliminating pay discrimination, but clearly more needs to be done. The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen the Equal Pay Act in ways that will help bring about the end of pay discrimination.

Too many women have waited for too long to be treated fairly in the workplace. Let’s pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and give women what they’ve earned. Don’t miss this opportunity to tell your Representative why the Paycheck Fairness Act is important to you by calling today! You can find everything you need to express your support on NWLC’s Facebook page or website.