House Passes Bill On Pay and Gender

House Democrats pushed through legislation yesterday that would give women new tools to combat pay discrimination.

The pay-equity measure, which passed by a vote of 247 to 178, would treat gender discrimination involving pay in the same way as race, disability and age discrimination. The bill would allow for compensatory and punitive damages, ban employers from retaliating against workers who share their salary with colleagues, and force employers to prove that paying a woman less than a man is job-related and necessary.

Republicans said the legislation would benefit trial lawyers, a Democratic constituency.