Harper Votes to Advance Effort for Equal Pay

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, voted to crack down on pay discrimination by corporations and employers.

“Women who have the same experience and duties as men deserve equal pay for equal work,” said Harper. “For too long women have been denied the compensation they have earned, and this burden has fallen particularly hard on women of color.”

Harper voted to pass House Bill 834, which strengthens state law prohibiting employers from paying unequal wages to employees who have similar experience and perform similar duties. It would also make it illegal for employers to force job applicants to disclose their past wage or salary history when applying for a job. Harper supported this legislation to put an end to the fact that women have historically been compensated less than their male counterparts.

“I will fight every day to make sure that pay discrimination against women ends because it is unacceptable,” Harper said. “I applaud my Republican and Democratic colleagues in the House who supported this measure and encourage my colleagues in the Senate and Governor J.B. Pritzker to support this bill in order to make a fairer, more equal Illinois.”