Obama Takes Further Actions to Address the Gender Pay Gap

On the anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, President Obama and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) jointly published a new proposed regulation that would require companies with 100 employees or more to report to the federal government how much they pay their employees based upon the categories of race, gender, and ethnicity (the “Proposed Regulation”). EEOC and the Department of Labor (“DOL”) feel that this proposed regulation, if implemented, would assist employers in evaluating their own pay practices to prevent discrimination regarding a pay gap. Additionally, EEOC and DOL feel the Proposed Regulation would assist them in addressing pay disparities and preventing discrimination in pay. The requirements under the Proposed Regulation would begin in September 2017.

See EEOC’s and White House’s January 29, 2016 press releases for more details.