BATON ROUGE – In a major victory for Louisiana families, today the state senate passed Sen. Ed Murray’s SB 219, supporting equal pay for our mothers, wives and daughters. Currently ranked the worst state in the union for working mothers, with the worst gender pay gap in the country, Louisiana took a dramatic step forward today to guarantee equal pay for equal work. Women make up over half of the workforce in Louisiana, and in an increasing number of households they are the breadwinner for their families. For all this effort, they are cheated on payday— sent home with 67 cents on the dollar compared to men working the same jobs. Today, the Louisiana State Senate sent the message that this has to change. Our mothers are worth more, and our state deserves better.
During the floor debate, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson urged her colleagues to “put your vote where your mouth is,” and go on the record with their support for women’s pay equity. “Vote like it’s 2015 and not 1963,” she said. And they did. Twenty-one senators voted to pass pay equality in Louisiana and close the pay gap that threatens our state’s ability to attract talented employees from across the country.
“We commend all of the members who put aside partisan distractions to pass this bill, and we are looking forward to the House taking up this crucial piece of legislation quickly,” said Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “There is nothing that should be controversial about this legislation, and every reason to support it— and to support Louisiana families.”
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