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H.R. 7: Paycheck Fairness Act

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H.R. 7: Paycheck Fairness Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-01-30 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2019-01-30 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: 3 recorded votes in our records. Latest: House roll call 132 (2019): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR7 (2019-03-27), Agreed to. See all
  4. Where it stands now: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53. 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 addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. It 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 prohibitions, (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. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training programs to address pay disparities, including through outreach to women and girls; (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women; (3) report on the gender pay gap in the teenage labor workforce; and (4) 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. The bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and ethnic identity of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall continue collecting data on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey. The bill sets forth prohibitions and requirements regarding the wage history of prospective employees.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House), 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 (Passed House)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] · 239 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 7, Paycheck Fairness Act (2019-03-13)

Cosponsors on this site

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), James E. Clyburn (D-SC), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and 179 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] reported raising $1.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

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-cong116-hr7 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116