United States 116th Congress Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 238 D · 2 R cosponsors

HR 7 — Paycheck Fairness Act

Last action — Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

In plain language

The bill aims to address wage discrimination based on sex.

The Paycheck Fairness Act seeks to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to strengthen protections against wage discrimination based on sex. It includes measures like improving data collection on pay, training on wage discrimination, and creating grant programs for negotiation skills training.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This bill means stronger protections against wage discrimination in your pay based on gender.

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.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

13 added · 1 removed

Plain-language change summary

The text adds several lines indicating the status of H.R. 7 as it progresses through the Senate, including its placement on the Senate calendar. It also removes a reference to the bill being engrossed in the House. This change reflects the current legislative status and helps track the bill's movement in the Senate.

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7 Engrossed in House (EH)] <DOC> 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
7 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)] <DOC> Calendar No.
53 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
7 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.
7 _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 28, 2019 Received April 2, 2019 Read the first time April 3, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.
Clerk.
CHERYL L.
116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
JOHNSON, Clerk.
Calendar No.
53 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H.
_______________________________________________________________________ April 3, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar
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Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

  4. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  5. Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 27 - 20.

  6. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Labor. H. Rept. 116-18.

  7. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Labor. H. Rept. 116-18.

  8. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 6.

  9. Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 252 Reported to House. The resolution provides for one hour debate on H.R. 7 and H.Res. 124.

  10. Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 252. (consideration: CR H2848-2875)

  11. The resolution provides for one hour debate on H.R. 7 and H.Res. 124.

  12. House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 252 and Rule XVIII.

  13. The Speaker designated the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton to act as Chairwoman of the Committee.

  14. GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 7.

  15. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Foxx amendment No. 1.

  16. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Torres amendment No. 2.

  17. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Torres amendment No. 3.

  18. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Byrne amendment No. 4.

  19. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Jayapal amendment No. 5.

  20. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Beyer amendment No. 7.

  21. POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Beyer amendment, the Chair put the question on the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Beyer demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on agreeing to the amendment until a time to be announced.

  22. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Lawrence amendment No. 8.

  23. DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 252, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Brown (MD) amendment No. 9.

  24. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was on adoption of amendment number 7, which was debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

  25. The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 7.

  26. The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

  27. The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.

  28. Ms. Foxx (NC) moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on Education and Labor. (text: CR H2872-2874)

  29. DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Foxx motion to recommit with instructions. Pending the reservation of a point of order. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to limit any contingent attorney's fees to 49% of any judgement awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs. Subsequently, the point of order was withdrawn.

  30. The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

  31. On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 191 - 236 (Roll no. 133).

  32. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 242 - 187 (Roll no. 134).(text: CR H2860-2863)

  33. On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 242 - 187 (Roll no. 134). (text: CR H2860-2863)

  34. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

  35. Received in the Senate.

  36. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.

  37. Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 239 co-sponsors · 307 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (239)

Not signed on (307)

307 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 307 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 7 do?
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.
Who sponsors HR 7?
HR 7 is sponsored by Pelosi, Nancy (Democratic), Hoyer, Steny H. (Democratic), Clyburn, James E. (Democratic), Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" (Democratic), Demings, Val Butler (Democratic), Huffman, Jared (Democratic), Brownley, Julia (Democratic), Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho (Democratic), Foster, Bill (Democratic), Tonko, Paul (Democratic), Cooper, Jim (Democratic), Schakowsky, Janice D. (Democratic), Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (Democratic), Hastings, Alcee L. (Democratic), Maloney, Carolyn B. (Democratic), Kaptur, Marcy (Democratic), Pocan, Mark (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Scott, David (Democratic), Richmond, Cedric L. (Democratic), Frankel, Lois (Democratic), Clark, Katherine M. (Democratic), Lipinski, Daniel (Democratic), Cárdenas, Tony (Democratic), Lowey, Nita M. (Democratic), Torres, Norma J. (Democratic), Nadler, Jerrold (Democratic), Clay, Wm. Lacy (Democratic), Boyle, Brendan F. (Democratic), Deutch, Theodore E. (Democratic), Cummings, Elijah E. (Democratic), Jackson Lee, Sheila (Democratic), Grijalva, Raúl M. (Democratic), Panetta, Jimmy (Democratic), Pingree, Chellie (Democratic), Serrano, Jose E. (Democratic), Maloney, Sean Patrick (Democratic), Vela, Filemon (Democratic), Norton, Eleanor Holmes (Democratic), McEachin, A. Donald (Democratic), Speier, Jackie (Democratic), Khanna, Ro (Democratic), Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" (Democratic), Schiff, Adam B. (Democratic), Davis, Susan A. (Democratic), Matsui, Doris O. (Democratic), Beatty, Joyce (Democratic), Correa, J. Luis (Democratic), Moulton, Seth (Democratic), Roybal-Allard, Lucille (Democratic), McCollum, Betty (Democratic), DeGette, Diana (Democratic), Bonamici, Suzanne (Democratic), Lawrence, Brenda L. (Democratic), Swalwell, Eric (Democratic), DeSaulnier, Mark (Democratic), Luján, Ben Ray (Democratic), Langevin, James R. (Democratic), Wild, Susan (Democratic), McNerney, Jerry (Democratic), DeFazio, Peter A. (Democratic), Beyer, Donald S. (Democratic), Higgins, Brian (Democratic), Price, David E. (Democratic), Espaillat, Adriano (Democratic), Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch (Democratic), Clarke, Yvette D. (Democratic), Heck, Denny (Democratic), Connolly, Gerald E. (Democratic), Pallone, Frank (Democratic), Larson, John B. (Democratic), Morelle, Joseph D. (Democratic), Green, Al (Democratic), Rice, Kathleen M. (Democratic), Cartwright, Matt (Democratic), Kilmer, Derek (Democratic), Perlmutter, Ed (Democratic), Smith, Adam (Democratic), Bass, Karen (Democratic), Napolitano, Grace F. (Democratic), Carbajal, Salud O. (Democratic), Wilson, Frederica S. (Democratic), Cohen, Steve (Democratic), Meng, Grace (Democratic), Dingell, Debbie (Democratic), Blunt Rochester, Lisa (Democratic), Barragán, Nanette Diaz (Democratic), Davis, Danny K. (Democratic), Velázquez, Nydia M. (Democratic), Lawson, Al, Jr. (Democratic), Garamendi, John (Democratic), Soto, Darren (Democratic), Larsen, Rick (Democratic), Evans, Dwight (Democratic), Veasey, Marc A. (Democratic), Adams, Alma S. (Democratic), Schrader, Kurt (Democratic), Norcross, Donald (Democratic), Sarbanes, John P. (Democratic), Bishop, Sanford D. (Democratic), Raskin, Jamie (Democratic), Himes, James A. (Democratic), Sherman, Brad (Democratic), Kelly, Robin L. (Democratic), O'Halleran, Tom (Democratic), Takano, Mark (Democratic), Chu, Judy (Democratic), Lee, Barbara (Democratic), Lewis, John (Democratic), Blumenauer, Earl (Democratic), Quigley, Mike (Democratic), Lynch, Stephen F. (Democratic), Pascrell, Bill (Democratic), Fudge, Marcia L. (Democratic), Costa, Jim (Democratic), Ruiz, Raul (Democratic), Gonzalez, Vicente (Democratic), Eshoo, Anna G. (Democratic), Watson Coleman, Bonnie (Democratic), McGovern, James P. (Democratic), Cisneros, Gilbert Ray (Democratic), Rush, Bobby L. (Democratic), Courtney, Joe (Democratic), Engel, Eliot L. (Democratic), Haaland, Debra A. (Democratic), Gabbard, Tulsi (Democratic), Crist, Charlie (Democratic), Omar, Ilhan (Democratic), Smith, Christopher H. (Republican), Levin, Andy (Democratic), Krishnamoorthi, Raja (Democratic), Keating, William R. (Democratic), Brown, Anthony G. (Democratic), Lamb, Conor (Democratic), Kuster, Ann M. (Democratic), Sires, Albio (Democratic), Yarmuth, John A. (Democratic), Peters, Scott H. (Democratic), Kennedy, Joseph P., III (Democratic), Moore, Gwen (Democratic), Bera, Ami (Democratic), Jayapal, Pramila (Democratic), Bustos, Cheri (Democratic), Castor, Kathy (Democratic), Cicilline, David N. (Democratic), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Vargas, Juan (Democratic), Pappas, Chris (Democratic), Dean, Madeleine (Democratic), Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria (Democratic), Hill, Katie (Democratic), Schneider, Bradley Scott (Democratic), Sánchez, Linda T. (Democratic), Shalala, Donna E. (Democratic), Case, Ed (Democratic), Lee, Susie (Democratic), Allred, Colin Z. (Democratic), Aguilar, Pete (Democratic), Visclosky, Peter J. (Democratic), Lieu, Ted (Democratic), Cox, TJ (Democratic), Butterfield, G. K. (Democratic), Plaskett, Stacey E. (Democratic), Craig, Angie (Democratic), Rouda, Harley (Democratic), Trahan, Lori (Democratic), Golden, Jared F. (Democratic), Luria, Elaine G. (Democratic), Brindisi, Anthony (Democratic), Lowenthal, Alan S. (Democratic), Tlaib, Rashida (Democratic), Wexton, Jennifer (Democratic), Underwood, Lauren (Democratic), Scanlon, Mary Gay (Democratic), Porter, Katie (Democratic), Neguse, Joe (Democratic), Delgado, Antonio (Democratic), Houlahan, Chrissy (Democratic), Johnson, Eddie Bernice (Democratic), Hayes, Jahana (Democratic), Levin, Mike (Democratic), Ryan, Tim (Democratic), Davids, Sharice (Democratic), Pressley, Ayanna (Democratic), DelBene, Suzan K. (Democratic), Horn, Kendra S. (Democratic), Sewell, Terri A. (Democratic), García, Jesús G. "Chuy" (Democratic), Thompson, Bennie G. (Democratic), Garcia, Sylvia R. (Democratic), Rose, Max (Democratic), Carson, André (Democratic), Murphy, Stephanie N. (Democratic), Castro, Joaquin (Democratic), Gomez, Jimmy (Democratic), Kildee, Daniel T. (Democratic), Loebsack, David (Democratic), Horsford, Steven (Democratic), Jeffries, Hakeem S. (Democratic), Payne, Donald M. (Democratic), Titus, Dina (Democratic), Kirkpatrick, Ann (Democratic), Van Drew, Jefferson (Republican), Kim, Andy (Democratic), Lofgren, Zoe (Democratic), Thompson, Mike (Democratic), Schrier, Kim (Democratic), Cleaver, Emanuel (Democratic), Kind, Ron (Democratic), Axne, Cynthia (Democratic), Waters, Maxine (Democratic), Cuellar, Henry (Democratic), Doggett, Lloyd (Democratic), Meeks, Gregory W. (Democratic), Neal, Richard E. (Democratic), Peterson, Collin C. (Democratic), Suozzi, Thomas R. (Democratic), Slotkin, Elissa (Democratic), Crow, Jason (Democratic), Malinowski, Tom (Democratic), Stanton, Greg (Democratic), Gottheimer, Josh (Democratic), Finkenauer, Abby (Democratic), Mucarsel-Powell, Debbie (Democratic), Doyle, Michael F. (Democratic), Trone, David J. (Democratic), Spanberger, Abigail Davis (Democratic), Sherrill, Mikie (Democratic), Casten, Sean (Democratic), McAdams, Ben (Democratic), Escobar, Veronica (Democratic), McBath, Lucy (Democratic), Fletcher, Lizzie (Democratic), Torres Small, Xochitl (Democratic), Stevens, Haley M. (Democratic), Phillips, Dean (Democratic), Cunningham, Joe (Democratic), San Nicolas, Michael F. Q. (Democratic), Harder, Josh (Democratic), and DeLauro, Rosa L. (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 7?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 7?
Track HR 7 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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