Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell joined 198 House Members cosponsoring introduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2017. The Paycheck Fairness Act closes loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and strengthens penalties for employers who discriminate based on gender. Rep. Sewell is an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Tuesday, April 4, also marks Equal Pay Day, a day recognizing when the average earnings of a woman working full time finally catch up to what men earned in 2016. Last year, on a weekly basis women earned 80 cents for every $1 that men were paid, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

“I cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act because women deserve the same respect and the same pay for the same work,” said Rep. Sewell. “Equal pay is not a political issue, it’s commonsense. The wage gap not only hurts women in our workforce, but also the millions of families who depend on working women to make ends meet. If we want to live up to our country’s core values of equality and opportunity, then we have to fight discrimination wherever it exists and ensure that women get the equal pay they deserve. The Paycheck Fairness Act is an important step in the right direction.”

Watch Congresswoman Terri Sewell’s live statement on Equal Pay Day.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.