[Title 3 CFR 7179]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - January 1, 2000 Edition]
[Title 3 - Presidential Documents]
[Proclamation 7179 - Proclamation 7179 of April 7, 1999]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


3Presidential Documents12000-01-012000-01-01false7179Proclamation 7179Presidential Documents
Proclamation 7179 of April 7, 1999

National Equal Pay Day, 1999

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

We live in a time of remarkable promise. Our Nation's economy is the 
strongest we have experienced in a generation, creating more than 18 
million new jobs since 1993 and the fastest growth in real wages in more 
than two decades. American women have contributed greatly to this record 
of success; unfortunately, they have not enjoyed an equal share in the 
prosperity they have helped to create.
The typical woman who works full-time year-round earns approximately 75 
cents for every dollar the typical man earns. An African American woman 
earns just 65 cents and a Hispanic woman earns 55 cents for each

[[Page 21]]

dollar that a white man earns. In the course of a week, this pay gap can 
mean one less bag of groceries, skipping a trip to the doctor, missing a 
rent payment, or not being able to pay for day care. Over the course of 
a working lifetime, it can mean thousands of dollars, a smaller pension, 
and fewer savings to provide for a comfortable retirement. And when a 
working woman is denied equal pay, it doesn't just hurt her; it also 
hurts her family. In more than 10 million American households today, the 
mother is the only breadwinner.
Americans have always believed in justice and equality. We have always 
believed that those who work hard should be able to provide a decent 
living for themselves and their children. If we are to live up to those 
ideals, we must ensure that women do not suffer wage discrimination. We 
must continue vigorous enforcement of existing laws, such as the Equal 
Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, so that no employer 
undervalues or underpays the work performed by women. To strengthen 
Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission efforts 
to end wage discrimination and expand opportunities in the workplace for 
women, my Administration has included a $14 million Equal Pay Initiative 
in my proposed balanced budget for fiscal year 2000. This initiative 
will provide more resources to identify wage discrimination, to educate 
workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities, and to 
bring more women into better-paying jobs. We will also work with the 
Congress to pass the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act--legislation 
designed to strengthen laws that prohibit wage discrimination.
As we observe National Equal Pay Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to 
justice and equality in the workplace, and let us build a Nation for the 
21st century where the talents, efforts, and hard work of American women 
will be rightly appreciated and fairly rewarded.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim April 8, 1999, 
as National Equal Pay Day. I call upon Government officials, law 
enforcement agencies, business leaders, educators, and the American 
people to recognize the full value of the skills and contributions of 
women in the labor force. I urge all employers to review their wage 
practices and to ensure that all their employees are paid equitably for 
their work.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of 
April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-third.
                                                    WILLIAM J. CLINTON  

[[Page 22]]