One Hundred Eleventh Congress of the United States of America
1st Session
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, the sixth day of January, two thousand and nine
S. 181
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
AN ACT
To amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of
2009
.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
The Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007), significantly impairs statutory protections against discrimination in compensation that Congress established and that have been bedrock principles of American law for decades. The Ledbetter decision undermines those statutory protections by unduly restricting the time period in which victims of discrimination can challenge and recover for discriminatory compensation decisions or other practices, contrary to the intent of Congress.
The limitation imposed by the Court on the filing of discriminatory compensation claims ignores the reality of wage discrimination and is at odds with the robust application of the civil rights laws that Congress intended.
With regard to any charge of discrimination under any law, nothing in this Act is intended to preclude or limit an aggrieved person’s right to introduce evidence of an unlawful employment practice that has occurred outside the time for filing a charge of discrimination.
Nothing in this Act is intended to change current law treatment of when pension distributions are considered paid.
Discrimination in compensation because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
Section 706(e) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–5(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
For purposes of this section, an unlawful employment practice occurs, with respect to discrimination in compensation in violation of this title, when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when an individual becomes subject to a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, or when an individual is affected by application of a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, resulting in whole or in part from such a decision or other practice.
In addition to any relief authorized by section 1977A of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1981a), liability may accrue and an aggrieved person may obtain relief as provided in subsection (g)(1), including recovery of back pay for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to unlawful employment practices with regard to discrimination in compensation that occurred outside the time for filing a charge.
.
Discrimination in compensation because of age
Section 7(d) of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 626(d)) is amended—
in the first sentence—
by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; and
by striking (d)
and
inserting (d)(1)
;
in the third sentence, by striking
Upon
and inserting the following:
Upon
; and
by adding at the end the following:
For purposes of this section, an unlawful practice occurs, with respect to discrimination in compensation in violation of this Act, when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by application of a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, resulting in whole or in part from such a decision or other practice.
.
Application to other laws
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The amendments made by section 3 shall apply to claims of discrimination in compensation brought under title I and section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq., 12203), pursuant to section 107(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12117(a)), which adopts the powers, remedies, and procedures set forth in section 706 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–5).
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The amendments made by section 3 shall apply to claims of discrimination in compensation brought under sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791, 794), pursuant to—
sections 501(g) and 504(d) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 791(g), 794(d)), respectively, which adopt the standards applied under title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for determining whether a violation has occurred in a complaint alleging employment discrimination; and
paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 505(a) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 794a(a)) (as amended by subsection (c)).
Conforming amendments
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 505(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794a(a)) is amended—
in paragraph (1), by inserting after
(42 U.S.C. 2000e–5 (f) through (k))
the following: (and
the application of section 706(e)(3) (42 U.S.C. 2000e–5(e)(3)) to claims of
discrimination in compensation)
; and
in paragraph (2), by inserting after
1964
the following: (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) (and in
subsection (e)(3) of section 706 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e–5), applied to
claims of discrimination in compensation)
.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Section 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 706(e)(3) shall apply to complaints of discrimination in compensation under this section.
.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
Section 15(f) of the
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C.
633a(f)) is amended by striking of section
and inserting
of sections 7(d)(3) and
.
Effective date
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, take effect as if enacted on May 28, 2007 and apply to all claims of discrimination in compensation under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), title I and section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that are pending on or after that date.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate
