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H.R. 2491: Wage Equity Act of 2021

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H.R. 2491: Wage Equity Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-04-13 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-04-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. 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

Wage Equity Act of 2021

Plain summary

Wage Equity Act of 2021 This bill addresses workplace wage discrimination based on sex. Specifically, it limits the acceptable reasons for wage disparities based on sex to legitimate business-related factors unrelated to sex. Italso protects from liability for such discrimination those employers who conduct a job and wage analysis audit to identify wage disparities and take reasonable steps to remedy any such disparities. Further, the bill prohibits employers from relying on, or requesting, the wage history of a prospective employee for hiring and wage determination purposes unless it is voluntarily provided by the prospective employee. Employers generally may not prohibit employees from inquiring about, or discussing, wage information concerning another employee or from requesting information from an employer about wage differentials. Finally, the bill permits the Department of Labor to establish a grant program for negotiation skills education for women and girls. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the causes and effects of sex-based wage disparities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in 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

Wage Equity Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] · 55 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Robert E. Latta (R-OH), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Mike Bost (R-IL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Austin Scott (R-GA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tom Cole (R-OK), Steve Womack (R-AR), Blake D. Moore (R-UT), Daniel Meuser (R-PA), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), John R. Curtis (R-UT), Mark E. Amodei (R-NV), J. French Hill (R-AR), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), David G. Valadao (R-CA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Stephanie I. Bice (R-OK), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Young Kim (R-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] reported raising $5.0 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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr2491 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117