Bill > HB289

This bill, known as the "Fair Pay Act of 2012," aims to ensure that employers pay equivalent wages for jobs that require equivalent skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, even if the jobs themselves are not identical. It acknowledges that wage gaps based on sex, race, and national origin negatively impact workers, the economy, and fair competition, and that these disparities persist despite previous civil rights legislation. The act prohibits employers from reducing an employee's wages to comply with these new pay equity requirements and prevents labor organizations from causing employers to discriminate. It also protects employees from retaliation if they oppose discriminatory pay practices, inquire about, disclose, compare, or discuss wages, or exercise their rights under the act. To support enforcement, employers are required to keep detailed records of their wage-setting practices for at least seven years, and successful plaintiffs in pay equity lawsuits can recover expert witness fees.