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Bill > SB2137


MS SB2137

MS SB2137
The Mississippi Equal Pay for Equal Work Reform Act; enact.


summary

Introduced
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
02/03/2026

Introduced Session

2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

An Act To Enact The Mississippi Equal Pay For Equal Work Reform Act; To Amend Section 71-17-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Define New Terms; To Authorize The Executive Director Of The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Determine Protected Characteristics; To Amend Section 71-17-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That No Employer May Pay An Employee A Wage At A Rate Less Than The Rate At Which An Employee Who Does Not Have A Protected Characteristic In The Same Establishment Is Paid For Equal Work On A Job, The Performance Of Which Requires Equal Skill, Education, Effort And Responsibility, And Which Is Performed Under Similar Working Conditions Except Under Certain Circumstances; To Authorize The Recovery Of Punitive Damages In Civil Actions By Employees; To Authorize The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To File Suit To Enforce This Chapter; To Prohibit Employers From Retaliating Against Any Employee For Discussing Or Disclosing His Or Her Wages For The Purpose Of Identifying Wage Disparities; To Require The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Enforce Chapter 17 Of Title 71; To Authorize The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Investigate Claims And Mediate Claims Between An Employer And An Employee To Direct Codification; And For Related Purposes.

AI Summary

This bill, known as the Mississippi Equal Pay for Equal Work Reform Act, aims to strengthen protections against wage discrimination by expanding the definition of protected characteristics beyond just sex to include race and any other characteristic determined by the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), which is the state agency responsible for employment services. The act prohibits employers from paying an employee less than another employee in the same establishment who performs equal work requiring equal skill, education, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions, unless the pay difference is due to a seniority system, merit system, production-based earnings, or another factor unrelated to a protected characteristic, such as salary history or negotiation efforts. Employees can now recover punitive damages in addition to back pay and attorney's fees if they win a lawsuit, and the MDES is authorized to file lawsuits to enforce these provisions and investigate and mediate wage disparity claims. Furthermore, employers are explicitly prohibited from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose their wages to identify pay gaps, and the MDES is tasked with enforcing this chapter.

Committee Categories

Justice

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

Died In Committee (on 02/03/2026)

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