Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the life and legacy of our dearly departed friend and colleague Congressman Alcee Hastings, who passed away earlier this month. Alcee and I were both elected to Congress in 1992. We were part of a historic class of new African American lawmakers from the South. Few would make such a tremendous and impactful mark on this institution than Alcee Hastings. He was one of Congress' most steadfast advocates for civil and human rights, working families, and the most vulnerable in our society. He bravely battled pancreatic cancer for the last year and a half. And despite this devastating diagnosis, Alcee remained a powerful and active voice for his constituents and the state of Florida. I will miss seeing him on the House floor. I will miss his sharp- witted questioning in the House Rules Committee. I will miss his friendship. Madam Speaker, our nation lost one of its most dedicated public servants. And in Alcee Hastings, we lost one of our most unique, friendly and hardest working colleagues. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Patricia, children, staff, constituents and many, many friends.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, to that end, H.R. 1195 directs OSHA to issue an interim final standard within 1 year and a final standard within 42 months, requiring healthcare and social service employers to develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan. It protects workers from retaliation for reporting assaults to their employers or government authorities. It also protects the employees of healthcare facilities run by State, county, or local governments in the 24 States that are not covered by either Federal OSHA or a State-run OSHA plan. Madam Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) for his leadership, and I urge my colleagues to join us in voting for this legislation.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1195, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. Over the past year, we have voiced exceptional praise for healthcare and social service workers, who have risked their lives to care for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet, for too long, we have failed to address the high and growing rates of workplace violence for these workers, who are regularly beaten, kicked, punched, and sometimes even killed on the job. In 2018, healthcare workers accounted for nearly three out of four of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses caused by violence. Let me repeat that. In 2018, healthcare workers alone accounted for nearly three out of four of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses caused by violence. Many of these incidents are foreseeable and can be prevented by sound workplace violence prevention plans. They work, and when they are implemented, they can reduce workers' compensation claims. Yet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, still has no enforceable workplace standard that requires healthcare and social service employers to implement violence prevention programs. We have tried voluntary guidance for the past 25 years, yet still too many employers choose not to follow the best evidence on what is well understood to be authoritative guidance issued by OSHA. To make matters worse, without action from Congress, protections for healthcare workers and social service workers are nowhere in sight. OSHA typically takes 7 to 20 years to issue a new standard. The recent beryllium standard that was adopted a couple of years ago was in the works for over 17 years. We cannot ask healthcare and social service workers to wait any longer, particularly during this global pandemic when Congress has the ability to ensure that OSHA can act as quickly as possible to protect workers' lives.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 303, I call up the bill (H.R. 7) to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. When President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, our country codified the basic idea that all workers should earn equal pay for equal work, regardless of sex. Regrettably, more than five decades later and after the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, that promise remains unfulfilled. Today, women continue to be paid, on average, 82 cents on the dollar compared to men. This wage disparity is far worse for women of color, who make less than White men and White women. It exists across every sector, regardless of education, experience, occupation, industry or job title. A recent Census Bureau study found that 38 to 70 percent of the gender wage gap is unexplained and likely due to discrimination. Drawn out over a lifetime, the persistent wage gap could cost a woman anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million. This impacts both workers and their families, often meaning the difference between financial stability and perpetual hardship. The Paycheck Fairness Act offers an opportunity to finally secure equal pay for equal work. The bill strengthens the Equal Pay Act by bolstering workers' rights to discuss their wages with coworkers and making it easier for workers to join class action lawsuits; enhancing the enforcement tools available to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Labor Department; and, more importantly, by closing loopholes for employer defenses and requiring employers to prove pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons. The Biden administration has issued a Statement of Administration Policy in support of this bill. It states: ``Ensuring equal pay is essential to advancing American values of fairness and equity.'' Then it adds: ``The Paycheck Fairness Act is commonsense legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act and give workers more tools to fight sex-based pay discrimination.'' Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Statement of Administration Policy of H.R. 7. Statement of Administration Policy H.R. 7--Paycheck Fairness Act--Rep. DeLauro, D-CT, and 225 cosponsors The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Ensuring equal pay is essential to advancing American values of fairness and equity. Women lose thousands of dollars each year, and hundreds of thousands over a lifetime, because of the gender and racial wage gap. Women working full-time, year-round in 2019 earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men working full-time; year-round, and these disparities are greater for women of color. Pay inequity also impacts individuals who face intersecting forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of women have dropped out of the labor force, partly reflecting the increased domestic labor demands on women. Caregiving demands often fall disproportionately on women, which leads to many women having to reduce their hours, resulting in lower earnings. As more and more American families rely on women's income, the pay gap hurts not only women, but also the families who depend on them. The cumulative impact of wage gaps adds up to financial insecurity over the course of a career for women and their families and for generations who follow. The Paycheck Fairness Act is commonsense legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act and give workers more tools to fight sex-based pay discrimination. It would also take major steps toward increasing pay transparency, an essential provision to advance equality in the workplace, by explicitly protecting workers from retaliation for simply discussing their compensation with their colleagues. The bill would also expand opportunities for workers to receive training on effective negotiation skills. The bill would also limit an employer's ability to rely on salary history during the hiring process to set pay, or when determining wages for a promotion. H.R. 7 would hold employers accountable by closing judicially created loopholes for employer defenses and by adding a class action option under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The bill would require the collection of pay data to enable better enforcement of laws prohibiting pay discrimination. The Administration looks forward to continuing to work with the Congress to address pay equity and urges quick action on this landmark bill.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), who is the Assistant Speaker of the House.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the sponsor of the bill, a champion for equal pay, and the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams), chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader of the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, this bill will prohibit paying all the men a bonus and none of the women a bonus, although they have produced equally for the business. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier), the co-chair of the Democratic Caucus.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the previous head of the EEOC.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, could you advise us how much time is available on each side?

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici), the chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.