SR0762

LRB096 21787 GRL 39678 r






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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The future of our nation's productivity and 
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competitiveness in the global marketplace depends on the 
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success of all men and women; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Women have been discriminated against in 
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education, the workplace, and society as a whole; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Women continue to earn no more than 78 cents on 
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the dollar compared to men; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The pay gap has been shown to start as soon as one 
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year after college; this inequality affects not only women, but 
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their families and society as a whole; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The pay gap between women and men has long-term 
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effects on women's economic security; such a gap affects 
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women's Social Security earnings, their ability to save for 
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retirement, and their children's education; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Pay equity is closely linked to the eradication of 
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poverty and is essential to having a highly-motivated 
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workforce; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Equal Pay Day was originated by the National 
 


 






SR0762
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LRB096 21787 GRL 39678 r




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Committee on Pay Equity in 1996 as a
public awareness event to 
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illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages; the day, 
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observed in April, symbolizes how far into the year a woman 
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must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the 
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previous year, with Tuesday being the day in which women's 
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wages catch up to men's wages from the previous week; because 
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women earn less on average than men, they must work longer for 
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the same amount of pay; this wage gap is even greater for most 
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women of color; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Equal pay is a priority for all women and for our 
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society at large; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate April 20, 
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2010 as Pay Equity Day in the State of Illinois in order to 
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raise awareness about this endemic inequity.