Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), released the following statement after voting against H.R. 7 – the Paycheck Fairness Act.
“It is disappointing that this entire Congress we have spent more time focused on passing messaging legislation that failed to be signed into law last year than doing our jobs,” said Burgess.
“I do not disagree that bad actors who engage in gender pay discrimination should be held accountable. Thankfully, we already have two federal laws, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, to prevent sex-based wage disparity.
“This legislation limits an employer’s ability to pay its employees based on performance. If a woman were to earn a performance-based bonus or salary increase that her male coworker did not receive, that man could file a suit against the employer on the basis that the bonus is not a ‘business necessity’ due to the vagueness of the term in H.R. 7. With this threat in mind, employers are much less likely to use performance-based pay and bonuses, despite studies showing such pay models increase employee productivity.
“The federal government has no business putting forward vague laws that will do more harm than good. I hope that instead of focusing on failed legislation, we will refocus and truly listen to what the American people are asking us to do.”
