Paycheck Fairness Act Fails In The Senate

On November 17, 2010, the Paycheck Fairness Act died in the U.S. Senate after failing the cloture vote to begin debate on the bill. The bill proposed amendments to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) to require equal pay for women doing the same job as men. The first problem will the bill is who decides what is equal?

The Measure would have exposed companies to crippling employment litigation without adding significant benefit to workers. The first law signed by Obama "The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act" was billed as equal pay for women, so why do they need another law for the same thing. There are already various Laws covering the discrimination issue.

Moreover, the large majority of Business owners are proponents of "free market" principles.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is an unnecessary interference into free enterprise that adds to the cost of doing business.

There are a growing number of women that earn more than their spouses, and laws like the Paycheck Fairness Act are no longer necessary. There are also the unintended consequenses of such a regulation, that could result in a step backwards for women by adversely affecting a Businesses hiring practices.  

After the measure failed in the Senate, President Obama expressed disappointment, saying he was "deeply disappointed" that the bill did not pass. "This bill would ensure that American women and their families aren't bringing home smaller paychecks because of discrimination."  That is code for, I really wanted the Government to have the ability to act as a union. That is exactly what the bill would have resulted in, mandading wages regardless of performance or merit, ie: union.

Several advocates of the bill already have vowed to continue to pursue similar legislation in the near future.
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