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S. 819: Paycheck Fairness Act

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S. 819: Paycheck Fairness Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-04-04 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-04-04 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Paycheck Fairness Act

Plain summary

Paycheck Fairness Act This bill amends equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) restrict the use of the bona fide factor defense to wage discrimination claims, (2) enhance nonretaliation provisions, (3) make it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increase civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs shall train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination matters. The bill directs the Department of Labor to: (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace is established for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Paycheck Fairness Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · 48 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] reported raising $3.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-s819 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115