Congressman Johnson Statement on 59th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act

Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement marking the 59th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, signed into law by President Kennedy on June 10, 1963:

"Fifty-nine years have passed since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law in 1963," said Rep. Johnson. "And yet, in many cases, there is still not equal pay for equal work in this country. In 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed, women who worked full-time, year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. Today, women earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. That is progress - but it is slow progress. It means that the wage gap has narrowed by less than half a cent per year. For women of color, income disparity is particularly striking. African-American women earned only 64 cents on average for every dollar earned by men in 2022; Black women in GA just 59 cents. That is why the Democratic Congress enacted landmark pay protections through the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill that President Obama signed into law. And it is why House Democrats are continuing to lead the charge to remove barriers to prosperity - twice passing Chair Rosa DeLauro's Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen and modernize the Equal Pay Act."

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