{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s224-114/featured_women-peace-and-security-act-of-2015-1450779400.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s224-114/featured_large_women-peace-and-security-act-of-2015-1450779400.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s224-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-21","title_override":"Do the Feds Need More Ways to Punish Businesses That Don’t Pay Women Equally?","summary_override":"This bill would revise existing remedies and enforcement mechanisms that seek to prevent wage discrimination based on sex. Exceptions to laws prohibiting wage differentials between men and women would be limited to bona fide factors — including education, training, or experience — among the employees whose wages differ.

Defenses based on bona fide factors can only apply if the employer demonstrates that the factor in question:

Is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation;
Is job-related with respect to the position in question;
Is consistent with the needs of the business;
Accounts for the differential in compensation.

This defense would be inapplicable when the employee can demonstrate that an alternative employment practice exists that serves the same business purpose without leading to a pay differential and their employer refused to adopt that practice.

The prohibition against employer retaliation for complaints by employees would be revised to bar retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of an employee in response to:

A complaint or charge of sex discrimination;
An investigation, proceeding, hearing or other action;
An investigation conducted by the employer.

It would be illegal to require employees to sign a contract or waiver preventing them from disclosing information about their wages. Employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions would be liable for a civil action for compensatory or punitive damages — although the federal government would be exempt from paying the punitive fines.

The Dept. of Labor would be authorized to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action, and all such actions could be pursued as class action cases without the written consent of individual plaintiffs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Compliance Programs would be required to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities involving wage discrimination.

EEOC would issue regulations related to collecting compensation data from employers to analyze data regarding the sex, race and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination.

","official_title":"A bill to ensure the United States promotes women's meaningful inclusion and participation in mediation and negotiation processes undertaken in order to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict and implements the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.","short_title":"Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2015\n\nExpresses the sense of Congress that: (1) implementation of the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP) is paramount in improving the lives of women around the world and increasing global stability and prosperity, (2) Congress is committed to advancing NAP principles, and (3) the President should ensure NAP's implementation and coordinate with the international community to reaffirm global commitments to implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.\n\nStates that it is U.S. policy to implement NAP.\n\n Directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to: (1) integrate gender goals into diplomatic and development efforts, and into agency guidance and contracting; (2) include gender in strategic and budget planning processes; and (3) review existing U.S. policies and programs on women and girls in foreign countries from a gender perspective.\n\nDirect...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Workers who have claimed that they have been subjected to pay discrimination, businesses accused of pay discrimination, and relevant federal agencies — especially the EEOC and Bureau of Labor Statistics.","argument_for":"It's the 21st century — there's no reason that women shouldn't make the same amount of money as men for doing the same work. 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Recent legislation addressed approving the use of military force against ISIS (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria, the emerging situation in the Ukraine and Ebola. ","page_title":"US Federal legislation related to Foreign Aid, International Trade and Relations and Human Rights - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/black_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/grey_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/white_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"war","name":"War","slug":"war","description":"All is fair in love and war? Have your say in the latter. Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to war!","page_title":"War Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/black_war-1429042061.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/grey_war-1429042061.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/war/white_war-1429042061.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"financial-markets","name":"Financial Markets","slug":"financial-markets","description":"Regulations for the US financial Markets - including Banking, Securities, Insurance, Currency and the Credit Markets. Legislation can also cover foreign loans, corporations and debt.","page_title":"Federal legislation related to regulating US financial markets and the US Currency - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/financial-markets/black_financial-markets-1429042042.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/financial-markets/grey_financial-markets-1429042042.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/financial-markets/white_financial-markets-1429042042.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"diplomacy","name":"Diplomacy","slug":"diplomacy","description":"Maintaining positive diplomatic relations with foreign countries is critical in U.S. foreign policy. Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to the U.S.'s diplomatic efforts!","page_title":"Diplomacy Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/diplomacy/black_diplomacy-1429042057.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/diplomacy/grey_diplomacy-1429042057.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/diplomacy/white_diplomacy-1429042057.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"GrumpyMSgt","vote_count":1119,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/emQlapZx/large_emqlapzx-1441643923.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/emQlapZx/small_emqlapzx-1441643923.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/emQlapZx/tiny_emqlapzx-1441643923.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/emQlapZx/following","followers":"/api/users/emQlapZx/followers"},"about_me":"Retired to God's waiting room....Florida!","twitter_id":"@knottypine65","facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"grumpymsgt","issue_count":22,"is_following":null,"influence_score":8760,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":41,"following_count":46,"position_count":726,"id":"emQlapZx","partner_id":null},{"name":"Loraki","vote_count":1215,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrgkD9d/large_8mrgkd9d-1485722796.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrgkD9d/small_8mrgkd9d-1485722796.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrgkD9d/tiny_8mrgkd9d-1485722796.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/100000827158540/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8mrgkD9d/following","followers":"/api/users/8mrgkD9d/followers"},"about_me":"I'm a member of the Church of Christ (non-institutional). God gave us a pattern to follow for the Church and for how we should live. He DIDN'T say that following it is OPTIONAL! Nor did He say we could make changes to His pattern! I believe that there will be an eternal home of the soul - Heaven or Hell - and that Christ will judge us on the last day. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God!\n\nI am NOT\n• a Catholic\n• a Protestant\n• a Baptist\n• a Methodist\n• a Mormon\n• an Episcopalian\n• a Pentacostal\nor member of any other denomination.\n\n• I AM A CHRISTIAN, PERIOD!\n• I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PERIOD! \n• I ACKNOWLEDGE NO HEAD OF THE CHURCH EXCEPT CHRIST JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, PERIOD! \n• I FOLLOW NO MANMADE CREED, BUT THE BIBLE ONLY, WHICH IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, PERIOD!\n\nI'm a 4th. generation Texan & the mother of 2 sons. I'm retired. I love the mountains and I like Oberhasli dairy goats, organic gardening, science fiction, astronomy, camping, and hunting. I'm very fond of my OESheepdog and my Norwegian Forest cat, too.\n\n• I'm a Constitutional Conservative and a patriot. \n•. I support the Tea Party. \n• I'm for limited government and free market capitalism. \n• I'm also for school choice and school prayer. \n• I'm against abortion and same-sex \"marriage\". \n• I'm TOTALLY AGAINST the implementation of Shariah law at any level in the United States! \n• I'm for SECURE BORDERS and reduced immigration, especially of Muslims! \n• I believe ALL illegal aliens should be deported. Those who enter our country illegally should not be given special privileges at the taxpayers' expense! \n• I believe that Congress should balance the budget and Uncle Sam should live within his means - without raising taxes! \n• I also believe in \"peace through strength\" - keep our military strong and keep out the transgenders! Freedom of religion applies to the military as well as civilians! I'm AGAINST allowing foreigners to join our military! 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GrumpyMSgt

Do the Feds Need More Ways to Punish Businesses That Don’t Pay Women Equally?