Kamala Harris Releases Proposal
to Tackle Gender Pay Gaps Harris is taking an aggressive stand on
preventing pay inequality in the workplace. According to recent studies, women are paid 80 cents
for every dollar men are paid, with those numbers
dipping even lower for women of racial minorities. Under her new policy, companies would be
required to obtain ‘Equal Pay Certification.’ They'd also be fined if they are unable
to prove their pay gaps are solely based
on merit, performance and seniority. The proceeds from the fines, estimated to
be as much as $180 million, will go towards
universal paid family and medical leave. Her proposal also calls for an overhaul of
anti-discrimination laws and the expansion
of discrimination based investigations. If Congress does not enact these policy changes,
Harris pledged to take executive action to apply
the standards to large federal contractors. Federal contracts that fail to obtain an ‘Equal
Pay Certification’ within two years would be barred
from competing for contracts of $500,000 or more.