“It’s simply not fair that any woman working the same hours in the same job should make less money than her male coworker.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today about the anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.

Today women make up nearly half of the American workforce. Women graduate from college at higher rates than men. More women were sworn into the 113th Congress than any before it, and there are more women in the Senate Democratic Caucus than ever before. Millions of women in the United States are the primary wage earners for their families. And women are now free to fight for this country on the front lines of battle. Yet for millions of American women, no amount of valor, talent or dedication will bring pay equality with their male peers.

Women still take home 77 cents for every dollar their male colleagues earn for doing exactly the same work. That’s true regardless of whether a woman has a college degree, regardless of what job she holds and regardless of how many hours she spends at the office or factory each week.

Four years ago today, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. That legislation – the first bill Barack Obama signed as President – was the single greatest legislative step to ensure women have every chance to be full, equal participants in the workforce since the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

But while this landmark legislation built on the legacy of the Equal Pay Act and narrowed the pay gap, it still hasn’t closed that gap. So the Senior Senator from Maryland, Senator Barbara Mikulski, introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act last Congress.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is a logical extension of protections under the Equal Pay Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It would help close the wage disparity by empowering women to negotiate for equal pay and creating strong incentives for employers to obey the laws already in place. It would give workers stronger tools to combat wage discrimination and bar retaliation against workers for discussing salary information. And it would help secure adequate compensation for victims of gender-based pay discrimination.

It’s simply not fair that any woman working the same hours in the same job should make less money than her male coworker.

Unfortunately, this common-sense legislation was blocked by a Republican filibuster last Congress. But Senator Mikulski, who has done so much to advance the cause of pay equity, reintroduced the measure last week.

As we mark the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Act, I applaud Senator Mikulski and the women of the Senate Democratic Caucus for their dedication to American women and families – and to the principle of equality.

“Equal Pay Day is a reminder that our nation’s gender pay gap is still a reality that holds back women professionally and holds back our nation economically. When a woman makes 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, for the same type of work, it means less money for families to pay for their children’s education or put food on the table.

“We took a big step to close that gap in 2009, when President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored protections for women challenging pay discrimination. But we can’t stop there. We should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help ensure women are paid the same as men who do the same work. Unfortunately, when I brought this legislation for a vote in 2010, Republicans filibustered, and now the leading Republican presidential candidate refuses to declare whether he supports measures that protect wage equality. Nobody should receive a smaller paycheck based solely on their gender. It’s disrespectful and it hurts our nation.”

Washington, DC— U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) today released the following statements regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the gender discrimination suit against Wal-Mart.  The senators called the current gender wage gap “unacceptable” and vowed to continue to fight to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.

Senator Murray:

“Women across America continue to earn less than men who do the same job, and today’s Supreme Court ruling is going to make that sad reality even harder to change.  We passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to start closing the pay gap, and we need to keep working to make sure that women have the tools they need to tackle pay discrimination in the workplace.”

Senator Mikulski:

“I’m disappointed in today’s Supreme Court ruling, which placed another hurdle at the courthouse door for women seeking compensation for wage discrimination. Women make this country run, but we still earn just 77 cents for every dollar our male counterpart makes. That’s why I led the fight on the Senate floor for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and am fighting to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would ensure equal pay for equal work. The pay gap is unacceptable. People should be judged solely by their individual skills, competence unique talents and nothing else in the workplace. And we must keep the courthouse door open to allow women to sue for pay discrimination – not make it more difficult for them to get the money they deserve.”