Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 17–Assemblymen Chowning, Anderson, Andonov, Angle, Arberry, Atkinson, Beers, Brown, Buckley, Carpenter, Christensen, Claborn, Collins, Conklin, Geddes, Gibbons, Giunchigliani, Goicoechea, Goldwater, Grady, Griffin, Gustavson, Hardy, Hettrick, Horne, Knecht, Koivisto, Leslie, Mabey, Manendo, Marvel, McClain, McCleary, Mortenson, Oceguera, Ohrenschall, Parks, Perkins, Pierce, Sherer, Weber and Williams

 

May 1, 2003

____________

 

Joint Sponsors: Senators Carlton, Amodei, Care, Cegavske, Coffin, Hardy, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, Nolan, O’Connell, Raggio, Rawson, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer, Tiffany, Titus, Townsend, Washington and Wiener

____________

 

Read and Adopted

 

SUMMARY—Recognizes April 15, 2003, as Equal Pay Day in Nevada. (BDR R‑898)

 

~

 

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

Assembly Concurrent RESOLUTION—Recognizing
April 15, 2003, as Equal Pay Day in Nevada.

 

1-1  Whereas, When the Equal Pay Act, requiring employers to pay

1-2  all employees equally for equal work, was signed in 1963, women

1-3  who worked full-time, year-round made 59 cents, on average, for

1-4  every dollar earned by men, and 40 years later women earn only 76

1-5  cents of that dollar as the wage gap closes at an even slower rate,

1-6  resulting in a change of less than one-half penny per year; and

1-7  Whereas, According to reports by the Bureau of the Census of

1-8  the Department of Commerce, the effects of the wage gap on

1-9  women of color is even greater, with black women earning only 69

2-1  cents for every dollar earned by white men, and Hispanic women

2-2  earning only 56 cents of that dollar; and

2-3  Whereas, “A New Look Through the Glass Ceiling: Where

2-4  Are the Women?,” a report using data compiled by the General

2-5  Accounting Office, states that, of the 10 industries surveyed which

2-6  employ 71 percent of all employed women and 73 percent of all

2-7  female managers, women who are full-time managers are paid less

2-8  and advance less often than male managers and that the wage gap

2-9  between female managers and their male counterparts widened

2-10  between 1995 and 2000 in 7 of the 10 industries; and

2-11      Whereas, Many women are the sole support of their families

2-12  and wage discrimination has a huge impact on their children and the

2-13  quality of their lives, and it is estimated that America’s working

2-14  families lose $200 billion annually because of wage discrimination;

2-15  and

2-16      Whereas, Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs

2-17  the average American woman and her family an estimated $250,000

2-18  in lost wages, impacting social security benefits and pensions; and

2-19      Whereas, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits

2-20  wage discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion or

2-21  national origin, and yet long after the Supreme Court made it clear

2-22  that Title VII prohibits wage discrimination even when the jobs are

2-23  not identical, as long as the work is comparable, wage

2-24  discrimination laws are poorly enforced and cases are extremely

2-25  difficult to win; and

2-26      Whereas, Wage discrimination for any reason is detrimental to

2-27  our sense of justice and fairness and our belief in the American way;

2-28  and

2-29      Whereas, While many people claim that the wage gap is the

2-30  result of differences in education, the Bureau of the Census reports

2-31  that a white male with a master’s degree earns $67,818 per year and

2-32  a black man with the same education earns only $51,336, with the

2-33  lowest paid being a similarly educated black woman, who earns

2-34  only $43,884; and

2-35      Whereas, The National Committee on Pay Equity, founded in

2-36  1979, is a national coalition of over 80 organizations and thousands

2-37  of men and women from all walks of life who are working to

2-38  eliminate wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity that will

2-39  benefit society as a whole when all workers have jobs that pay a fair

2-40  and equitable wage, enabling them and their families to lead

2-41  healthy, fulfilling and productive lives; and

2-42      Whereas, While the costs are minimal to employers, only 3 to

2-43  4 percent of payroll costs, pay equity wage adjustments can make a

2-44  substantial difference in the lives of the persons who are being

2-45  discriminated against; and

3-1  Whereas, Every year, Equal Pay Day is marked on a Tuesday

3-2  in April because, on average, it takes women 7 workdays to earn the

3-3  same amount that men earn in 5 workdays and 15 months to match

3-4  the average man’s 12-month income; now, therefore, be it

3-5  Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the

3-6  Senate Concurring, That April 15, 2003, be recognized as Equal

3-7  Pay Day; and be it further

3-8  Resolved, That the public and private employers in Nevada are

3-9  to be congratulated for lighting the way for other states to follow,

3-10  with the employers in our State ranking among the highest in the

3-11  nation in paying their employees equal pay for equal work; and be it

3-12  further

3-13      Resolved, That all employers in Nevada, whether public or

3-14  private, are encouraged to compensate all employees fairly, based

3-15  on an objective evaluation of their jobs, considering factors such as

3-16  the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions required for

3-17  each job; and be it further

3-18      Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and

3-19  transmit a copy of this resolution to Governor Kenny Guinn, to each

3-20  member of the Nevada Congressional Delegation and to Linda

3-21  Chavez-Thompson, the Chair of the National Committee on Pay

3-22  Equity.

 

3-23  H