Sponsor Testimony for House Bill 232 - Representative Stephanie Howse (June 22, 2021)

Summary

Sponsor testimony for House Bill 232 (HB 232), the Ohio Equal Pay Act, from State Representative Stephanie Howse, House District 11, to the Commerce and Labor Committee on June 22, 2021. The testimony says Representative Howse sponsors the bill with Rep. Jessica Miranda and states that Ohio ranks 33rd in the nation for its gender wage gap. It describes four main parts of the bill. The first requires businesses with 4 or more employees that contract with the state or receive state economic development grants to obtain an Equal Pay Certificate. The second prohibits gag orders on employees discussing salaries, and the third prohibits an employer from requesting a prospective employee's wage or salary history.

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                   Office of State Representative Stephanie Howse
                                   House District 11

                             Sponsor Testimony for House Bill 232
                                Commerce and Labor Committee
                                          June 22, 2021
Good Afternoon Chairman Stein, Vice Chair Johnson, Ranking Member Lepore-Hagan and
members of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, thank you for hearing sponsor
testimony on House Bill 232 (HB 232), the Ohio Equal Pay Act, which would recognize the full
value and potential of Ohio’s working women. I am proud to sponsor this bill along with Rep.
Jessica Miranda.
In 1963 when the Equal Pay Act was signed (58 years ago), women working full time year round
made $0.59 to the dollar paid to men. Today, women earn just $0.82 – the time is now for Ohio
to enact 21st century workplace policies. Currently, Ohio ranks 33rd in the nation for its gender
wage gap1. With women making up nearly half of Ohio’s workforce, this pay discrepancy has a
significant negative impact on Ohio families and Ohio’s economy. The pandemic amplified
existing gender inequalities, causing COVID-19 to have a disproportionate impact on women.
Between February 2020 and January 2021, 2.5 million women left the workforce2. Female
dominated industries like hospitality have struggled during the pandemic, forcing many women
out of work, and others have quit due to a lack of child care options or workplace flexibility. By
reducing the gender wage gap, we can increase family security and stability, lower poverty rates
and boost economic growth across our state.
My colleague Rep. Miranda has laid out the data and statistics for the committee. When you look
deeper into those statistics, you will find that women of color must work an additional two to
eleven months to earn what their white, male counterparts did the previous year. This pervasive
wage gap is continues to devalue and diminish the work of Black women and women of color in
Ohio, which is rooted in a patriarchal society where we have allowed gender bias to thrive in the
workplace. Passing the Ohio Equal Pay Act is more important than ever as women and their
families continue to endure the most of the health and economic impacts from the COVID-19
pandemic. To ensure our wages reflect the true promise of Ohio—that our economy works for
everyone and not just the wealthy and well connected, we need to work together to ensure
working families are paid equally.




                                                                       77 South High Street, 10th Floor
                                                                                Columbus, OH 43215
                                                                                       (614) 466-1414
                                                                                Rep11@ohiohouse.gov
                      Office of State Representative Stephanie Howse
                                      House District 11

There are four main parts to the Ohio Equal Pay Act.
     First, it requires businesses with 4 or more employees who contract with the state or
      receive state economic development grants or other development packages to obtain an
      Equal Pay Certificate, which will certify that the employer offers growth opportunities to
      all employees regardless of gender. The certificate would also ensure the business is not
      paying women less than men in similar positions.
     Second, HB 232 prohibits gag orders on employees that keep them from talking about
      their salaries with one another. Women often don’t know they are making less than men
      because salary information is kept secret and they are punished for talking about it.
     Third, HB 232 prohibits an employer from requesting information regarding or seeking a
      prospective employee’s wage or salary history from the prospective employee or the
      prospective employee’s current or former employer.
     Finally, our bill requires government entities to evaluate their employees’ pay scales to
      ensure that compensation is based on similar skills, effort, responsibilities and working
      conditions across job categories so that adjustments can be made as needed where woman
      dominated job categories have been undervalued. Women in Minnesota saw their wages
      increase by 9% after a similar provision was implemented.


    Since the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, what has happened to the two generations of
    women and families we have left behind, because we have not implemented systems to hold
    government and businesses accountable to pay working families equally? Here in Ohio, we
    cannot control what happens on the national level, but it is within our power to take care of
    women and families here at home. With your support, the Ohio Equal Pay Act will empower
    women and families in the workplace to be what they are—equal. Thank you again for
    providing me the opportunity to provide sponsor testimony on this bill and I look forward to
    answering any questions you may have.



1
 National Women’s Law Center 2019, “Wage Gap State Rankings https://nwlc.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/03/Overall-Wage-Gap-State-By-State-2021-v2.pdf
2
 Pushed out by pandemic, women struggle to regain footing in U.S. job market https://www.reuters.com/article/us-
health-coronavirus-women-jobs/pushed-out-by-pandemic-women-struggle-to-regain-footing-in-u-s-job-market-
idUSKBN2AW19Y

                                                                                  77 South High Street, 10th Floor
                                                                                           Columbus, OH 43215
                                                                                                  (614) 466-1414
                                                                                           Rep11@ohiohouse.gov


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