2013 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 13-027 BY SENATOR(S) Giron, Aguilar, Carroll, Guzman, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Newell, Nicholson, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop, Todd, Ulibarri, Morse; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Peniston, Buckner, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Duran, Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Lebsock, Lee, Levy, May, McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Rosenthal, Ryden, Salazar, Schafer, Scott, Singer, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams, Wilson, Wright, Young, Ferrandino. CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF APRIL 9, 2013, AS "EQUAL PAY DAY" IN COLORADO, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, ACKNOWLEDGING THE PERSISTING PROBLEM OF WAGE DISPARITY AMONG VARIOUS GROUPS. WHEREAS, Nearly fifty years after the passage of the federal "Equal Pay Act of 1963", pay discrimination continues to be a real and persistent problem that shortchanges American women and people of color and their families; and WHEREAS, As the majority of women are primary or co-breadwinners, pay inequity can make an enormous difference in a family's ability to make ends meet; and WHEREAS, According to numbers released in 2012 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2011 annual earnings; and WHEREAS, For women of color the gap is even wider, as African-American women earned only 69 cents and Latinas just 60 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2011; and WHEREAS, Men of color also experience disparities when their pay is compared to that of the highest earners; and WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and WHEREAS, Providing equal pay and offering workplace flexibility helps employers recruit and retain the most qualified employees in their field and is proven to increase productivity and profits; and WHEREAS, To achieve pay equity, we need to combat discrimination, properly value women's care work, develop better policies and programs to educate and train women and people of color for higher paying jobs, and give women and people of color the tools they need to get the pay they deserve; and WHEREAS, Fair pay policies can be implemented easily and without undue costs in the private and public sectors; and WHEREAS, There is a role for individuals, businesses, nonprofit and labor organizations, and governmental agencies in closing the wage gap; and WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, symbolizes the time in the new year in which the wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly: (1) Proclaim Tuesday, April 9, 2013, to be "Equal Pay Day" in the state of Colorado; and (2) Urge governmental agencies, businesses, nonprofit and labor organizations, and individuals to take steps to implement fair pay equity policies to help close the pay gap for Colorado's women and people of color. Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be sent to 9to5 Colorado; American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado; American Association of University Women of Colorado; Blackwell Communications; Citizens Project; Colorado Business Women; Colorado Fiscal Institute; Colorado Jobs with Justice; Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights; Colorado Progressive Coalition; Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce; FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities; Jewish Women's Fund; League of Women Voters of Colorado; NAACP State Conference; One Colorado Education Fund; Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains; Project WISE; Service Employees International Union Local 105; Institute for Women's Studies and Services of Metropolitan State University of Denver; Trinity Partners; Women's Bureau; Women's Collaborative of Colorado; Women's Foundation of Colorado; and Women's Lobby of Colorado. ____________________________ ____________________________ John P. Morse Mark Ferrandino PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES