"It's just a question of fairness!"
DES MOINES - Gov. Chet Culver on Tuesday signed Senate File 137, a bill that mandates pay equity in Iowa's workplaces.
Iowa ranks 37th in gender pay equity, and on average across the state, Iowa women earn 62.5 percent of that earned by men in the same industry.
The Governor was joined at the ceremony in his formal office by Lt. Governor Patty Judge, DOT Director Nancy Richardson and Libby Nelson of Kemin Industries, who all spoke of this bill's impact on the lives of Iowa's women.
The law expands on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to apply pay discrimination protections to businesses with as few as four employees and updates the state's civil rights law. It sets a 180-day limit for filing equal-pay lawsuits from the time workers believe they have been victims of discrimination. It also allows plaintiffs in such cases to sue for double and triple damages, based on severity.
"From this day forward, discrimination of this nature is plain and simply illegal," Culver said before the signing. "It's just a question of fairness."
