EQUAL PAY LEGISLATION MOVING IN STATE HOUSE

Legislation to amend Pennsylvania’s equal pay law is moving in the State House. The measure that would bar companies from paying employees differently based on their gender has been approved by the House on a party-line vote of 102 to 99, with all Democratic support. Among other changes, the bill switches wording for employees engaged in “comparable work,” and replaces that with the existing standard of “equal work.” The measure would also raise penalties for violations up to five-thousand-dollars.