HR 399 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a grant to a public university to establish the Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

January 9, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. DINGELL (for himself and Mrs. MALONEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and LaborCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a grant to a public university to establish the Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) According to a 2003 Government Accountability Office report, even after accounting for factors such as occupation, industry, race, marital status, job tenure, and differing work patterns, all of which affect earnings, women are paid, on average, 80 cents compared to every dollar that men are paid.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) According to the same report, the earnings gap between men and women has persisted without statistically significant changes for the past two decades.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) According to a 2001 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the earnings gap among working men and women is widest among parents.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) Some women choose to trade advancing in their careers or higher earnings for a job offering the flexibility to manage family responsibilities alongside work.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) According to a 2001 Government Accountability Office study, in 1995 and 2000, female full-time managers earned less than their male counterparts.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) According to the same study, in 7 of the 10 industries studied, the earnings gap between female and male full-time managers actually widened between 1995 and 2000.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) Women make up 46 percent of the workforce but represent just 12 percent of all corporate officers.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) A reason for the continuing earnings disparity might be discrimination as to which roles are considered acceptable for men and women and how women are viewed in the workplace.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(9) According to the February 2004 Monthly Labor Review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor projects that the United States work force is growing at a rate of 1 percent per year, in part due to the continually increased presence of women.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WOMEN AND WORKPLACE POLICY.

(a) Establishment- The Secretary of Labor shall make a grant to an eligible university to establish the ‘Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy’ (referred to in this Act as the ‘Center’).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Use of Funds-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA- The Center established under subsection (a) shall compile and analyze available data and data sets on the difference between the earnings of men and women, including the Panel Study of Income Dynamics housed at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and to identify factors which affect differences in earnings.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS- The Center shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) disseminate its findings annually to the public, using a website and any other appropriate means; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) maintain a website to serve as a clearinghouse for the data and findings of relevant recent studies.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) BEST PRACTICES GUIDES- Each year, the Center shall publish one best practices guide, as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) BEST PRACTICES GUIDE FOR BUSINESSES- Not later than one year after the Center is established under subsection (a), the Center shall publish a best practices guide for businesses containing recommended guidelines for--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) workplace equity;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) retaining women in the workplace; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) promoting a family-friendly workplace.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) BEST PRACTICES GUIDE FOR FAMILIES- Not later than one year after the publication of the best practices guide for businesses under subparagraph (A), the Center shall publish a best practices guide for families, containing information about--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) the policies of various employers relating to workplace equity, retaining women in the workplace, and promoting a family-friendly workplace;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) strategies for addressing inequity in the workplace; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) recent findings on inequity in the workplace.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) SUBSEQUENT EDITIONS- The Center shall update, revise, and publish a subsequent edition of each of the best practices guides under subparagraphs (A) and (B) once every two years after the initial publication of each guide.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Eligible University- In this Act, the term ‘eligible university’ means a public university--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) with a school of public policy, a school of business, a center devoted to the education of women, and social research facilities;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) at which research is conducted on--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) gender differences and levels of achievement in the careers of faculty members employed by institutions of higher education;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) work experiences of non-tenure-track faculty members employed by such institutions;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) policies of such institutions with respect to work and family for tenure-track faculty members; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) the number of women employed as chief executive officers and directors at large publicly held companies; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) which has designed or is in the process of designing a national clearinghouse for information concerning gender differences and levels of achievement in the careers of faculty members and work and family policies and issues affecting faculty members which includes citations to research and examples of relevant policies and practices.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Report- Not later than 12 months after receiving a grant under this Act, the recipient shall submit to the Secretary and to Congress a report documenting how the university used the grant funds and evaluating the level of success of the Center funded by the grant.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Amount of Grant- For each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014, the Secretary shall provide a grant in the amount of $1,000,000 to an eligible university to carry out this Act.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink