Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages paid to men and to Black women.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 114 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 114

 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
                    paid to men and to Black women.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2026

   Ms. Adams (for herself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Lois Frankel of
 Florida, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Figures, Ms. Norton, Ms. Barragan,
 Mr. Frost, Ms. Bonamici, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Strickland, Mr. McGarvey,
 Mr. Quigley, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Ivey,
Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Scholten, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Thompson of California,
Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Clarke of New
York, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Brown, Mr. Neguse, Ms. McClellan, Ms.
 DelBene, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Omar,
 Mr. Meeks, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms.
     Simon, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Landsman, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr.
  DeSaulnier, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Carson, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Ansari, Ms.
  Elfreth, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Ross, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms.
   Friedman, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Bynum, Ms. Chu, Mr. Bell, Mr. Smith of
   Washington, Mr. Walkinshaw, Ms. Titus, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Pocan, Mr.
  Thompson of Mississippi, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Thanedar, Mr.
   Menefee, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Green of
Texas, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Dexter, Mr.
   Takano, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, and Ms. Stevens) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
                        Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
                    paid to men and to Black women.

Whereas July 21, 2026, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, a day of observance of
        the wage gap between working Black women and working white, non-Hispanic
        men;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d))
        (commonly known as the ``Equal Pay Act of 1963'') prohibits
        discrimination in compensation for equal work on the basis of sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.)
        prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color,
        religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 6 decades ago, which
        requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for
        equal work, data from the Bureau of the Census show that Black women
        working full time and year round are paid 65 cents for every dollar paid
        to white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, when part-time and part-year workers are included in the comparison,
        Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-
        Hispanic men;
Whereas, if the current trends continue, on average, Black women will have to
        wait nearly 200 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the United States working
        full time, year round, is $51,660, which means that, if the current wage
        gap were to continue, the average Black woman would lose nearly
        $1,113,600 in potential earnings because of the wage gap over the course
        of a 40-year career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to support themselves and
        their families, to save and invest for the future, and to spend on goods
        and services, causing businesses and the economy to suffer as a result;
Whereas the median earnings of Black women are less than the median earnings of
        white, non-Hispanic men at every level of academic achievement, and in
        leadership and professional positions;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees experience a larger
        wage gap in comparison to white, non-Hispanic men than Black women with
        a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 69 percent of Black mothers are the
        sole or primary breadwinners for their families, compared to slightly
        more than 33 percent of white, non-Hispanic mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality childcare, support for
        caregivers caring for elderly or disabled family members, paid family
        and medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family-friendly workplace
        policies contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to
        choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality care for
        themselves or their family members;
Whereas Black women's labor force participation has been disproportionately
        impacted by the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in
        the private sector and Federal Government;
Whereas, if the wage gap were eliminated, a Black woman working full time, year
        round, would have enough money for nearly 2 and \1/2\ additional years
        of tuition and fees for a 4-year public university, the full cost of
        tuition and fees for a public 2-year community college, nearly 16
        additional months of premiums for employer-based family health insurance
        coverage with employer contributions, 34 weeks of food for a family of
        4, 14 additional months of home ownership costs, including mortgage
        payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and fuel costs, 19
        additional months of rental costs, including rent payments, utilities,
        and fuel, 2 years of center-based child care for 1 child, or enough
        money to pay off the Federal student loan debt of an average borrower in
        under 2 years;
Whereas Black women face dual, compounding discrimination based upon both their
        race and gender;
Whereas at least 37 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the
        workplace, and over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with
        the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet the
        prevalence of sexual harassment is likely much higher, as research has
        found that only a small number of women who experience harassment
        formally report incidents for reasons including fear of retaliation;
Whereas individuals who are targets of harassment are 6.5 times more likely than
        individuals who are not targets of harassment to change jobs or pass up
        opportunities for advancement, contributing to the gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women are the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to have
        filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas over 6 in 10 workers paid the minimum wage or less are women, and there
        is an over-representation of women of color in low-wage and tipped
        occupations;
Whereas nearly \1/2\ of private sector workers report that they were either
        discouraged or prohibited by their employers from discussing wage and
        salary information, which can hide pay discrimination and prevent
        remedies;
Whereas the pay gap faced by Black women is part of a wider set of disparities
        faced by Black women in home ownership, unemployment, poverty, access to
        childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has narrowed by only 4 cents in the
        last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the
        gendered and racial injustices that Black women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July 21, 2026, as Black
        Women's Equal Pay Day to recognize the persistent and detrimental wage
        gap Black women face: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women
        and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
            (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal
        work and narrowing the gender wage gap.
                                 <all>