To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Reported by Mr. Sanders, without amendment
Summary
What This Bill Does
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to strengthen equal pay protections by narrowing employer defenses, allowing class actions, prohibiting retaliation for discussing wages, and increasing penalties for pay discrimination.
Who Benefits and How
Women workers, especially women of color, benefit from stronger equal pay enforcement and ability to discuss wages without retaliation. Employees gain ability to bring class actions for systematic pay discrimination.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Employers must justify pay differentials with bona fide job-related factors and demonstrate business necessity. Companies face higher penalties including compensatory and punitive damages. EEOC and OFCCP must provide training on pay discrimination.
Key Provisions
- Narrows "any factor other than sex" defense to bona fide job-related factors
- Prohibits retaliation for discussing or inquiring about wages
- Permits class action lawsuits for pay discrimination
- Adds compensatory and punitive damages to remedies
- Requires EEOC pay data collection from employers
- Establishes negotiation skills training grants
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Strengthens the Equal Pay Act to close loopholes and provide more effective remedies for pay discrimination based on sex
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Close Equal Pay Act loopholes and strengthen enforcement mechanisms"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology