BATON ROUGE – Republicans on the House Labor and Industrial Relations committee today voted against an amendment to ensure the women of Louisiana equal pay for equal work. GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Alan Seabaugh and Blake Miguez, voted 10-5 against moving the bill out of committee. This slap in the face to the women of our state, who comprise more than 50% of our workforce and act as breadwinners in more than 40% of our family households, comes only a day after an already-infamous “joke amendment” was offered on the House floor.

 

While Republicans are happy to waste their time and taxpayers’ money on “joke” legislation that would mandate a maximum age and weight for dancers at adult clubs, they lacked the political courage to send a bill mandating equal pay for equal work to the full House for a debate.

 

“Louisiana Republicans have made their priorities crystal clear this week,” said Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “Instead of standing up for our mothers and daughters on pay day, they are wasting their time on the floor of the legislature with ‘joke amendments’ and blatant disrespect for women.”

 

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