03/14/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"I'm honored to be a part of this fight. Reducing an entire group of Floridians take home pay not only hurts their families, but it hurts Florida's economy as a whole. Those groups most affected by this — the single mother; a family stricken by illness or unemployment or tragedy that relies on a female breadwinner; those Floridians whose gender identity isn't even recognized anywhere in our state laws; they deserve policies and protections that reflect the reality of their everyday existence. That's why we need this bill. That's why we were elected to serve," proclaimed Senator Linda Stewart. Efforts to close the gender pay gap are both popular and necessary. Despite having federal legislation on the books since 1963, the gender wage gap persists. According to the The American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Florida, over a lifetime of work (47 years), the total estimated loss of earnings of women compared with men is $700,000 for a high school graduate, $1.2 million for a college graduate and $2 million for a professional school graduate. "I am proud and honored to file this legislation along with Senator Stewart and Democratic Leader Cruz. Leader Cruz has championed this bill for 5 years and I have always supported her efforts. While I feel this legislation should be unnecessary, the reality is that in 2017 women are still not earning the same pay as men in the same position. Paying women equally is good for the economy and good for business. It is simply a no-brainer and I invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to write this into statute once and for all," said Representative Lori Berman. On Tuesday, January 24Th, 2017 at 11:30am in front of .the -Senate Chambers, all three Members will be hosting a press conference announcing this legislation. They invite their colleagues to join them.