State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3rd) championed a newly signed law that ensures employers fully implement the Equal Pay Act’s provisions.
“On average, white women make 82 cents for every dollar men make, and women of color make even less than that,” Hunter said. “This has always been unacceptable—and continues to be. In order to create true equity across state structures, we must guarantee that everyone is paid the same rates for the same work.”
In January, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1480, part of the Black Caucus’s Economic Access, Equity, and Opportunity Pillar, to create an Equal Pay Registration Certificate requirement for businesses with more than 100 employees in Illinois, and Governor JB Pritzker signed it. During the spring session, Hunter introduced Senate Bill 1847, which made important changes to the Equal Pay Act’s application submission dates and to the equal pay compliance statement requirements. Senate Bill 1847 also became law.
“With these changes, the underlying statute will be more enforceable and more straightforward for all parties by clarifying the responsibilities of businesses, detailing how the applications should be processed by the department, and clarifying which information will be available to certain parties,” Hunter said.
“I am happy that we have passed the Equal Pay Act as part of the Black Caucus’s innovative pillars, and I am also happy that we were able to amend it so that this act would be more enforceable,” Hunter said. “There should be no barriers when it comes to equal pay, and this measure will help ensure that.”
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