[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 6600] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EQUAL PAY DAY ______ HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ of texas in the house of representatives Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I am honored to rise here today to recognize Tuesday, April 22, 2008, as Equal Pay Day. National and community organizations alike make this a national day of action to promote equal pay for women and minorities. It is a day to recognize the wage gap that exists between men and women and offer solutions that will address and remedy this economic injustice. It is no accident that a Tuesday in April is chosen as the day in which we recognize income inequality. April symbolizes the month when women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous year and Tuesday represents the day on which women's wages equal men's wages from the previous week. According to 2007 statistics by the United States Census Bureau, on average women are paid 77 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts earn. For a country where 46 percent of its workforce is female, this is unacceptable. It is clear that we are not moving fast enough in promoting pay equality. Some reports estimate that if we continue at the current pace, the wage gap will not be closed until 2057. That is far too long for this discrimination to continue. We must promote all efforts to encourage employers to pay women fairly, educate women on negotiating appropriate salaries, and enforce current equal pay legislation. It is imperative that we protect every American's right to earn a fair wage based solely on qualifications and performance. There is no room in the American workforce for perpetuating gender and race stereotypes. By eliminating pay discrimination we will be ensuring that we will have the best and most productive workforce. I applaud all Americans who participate in and support Equal Pay Day. The first step in correcting this inequity is by alerting others it exists. It is my hope that together we can do this and ultimately be the catalyst for change. ____________________