Rep. Conroy Fights to End Wage Discrimination

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to end wage discrimination in the work place, where women make 80 cents to a man’s dollar, state Rep. Deb Conroy passed legislation from the House floor prohibiting employers from asking applicants about their previous wage rate.

“We must end the wage discrimination that working women face, and we start by ending the practice of employers asking applicants about their previous wage rates,” Conroy said. “By allowing employers to ask applicants their previous wage rates, employers develop hiring offers for women based on a wage rate that is depressed through wage discrimination.”

Conroy’s legislation, House Bill 2462, amends the Equal Pay Act of 2003 to prohibit employers from asking job applicants for their previous salaries. Additionally, the bill blocks employers from requiring applicants to waive their right to withhold previous wage information. Similar legislation was passed in Massachusetts in 2016.

“Women have a right to be paid an equal wage for equal work,” Conroy said. “This legislation moves us closer to closing the gender wage gap, and ensuring women are paid fairly.”