Pay Discrimination Back on the Front Burner

The Senate may soon vote on a pay discrimination bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, written by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX).

An earlier pay discrimination bill was passed by the House earlier this year but failed to pass the Senate by three votes. The bill would have overturned last year's Supreme Court decision in the case of a Goodyear employee in Alabama who was paid less than male counterparts doing the same job. The court ruled that pay discrimination lawsuits must be filed within 180 days, even if the discrimination went unnoticed for years. Ledbetter's case didn't meet that time frame.

In a nutshell, Hutchinson's bill would allow victims of pay discrimination to bring charges when they have enough information to support their suspicion. After all, payroll information is private and, therefore, not easy to obtain.

Although Democrats say that the new bill isn't as thorough as the earlier bill, it has substantial bi-partisan support and is expected to pass the Senate this year -- if it's scheduled for voting before the August recess.

Businesses fear that if the bill becomes law, cases charging pay discrimination in the past could proliferate. And, passage of the bill could have an impact on pension payments and increase retirement costs, according to a report in Workforce Management. President Bush has indicated he would veto the bill.