Measures designed to extend equal pay for women to contractors and private workers, and to create a commission to study the issue, were halted in their tracks today by the Louisiana House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. The action came less than a week after the same committee sunk a bill backed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to help close the gender pay gap.
Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport, voluntarily deferred her House Bill 928, which would have expanded the state’s Equal Pay for Women Act to all workers. Sponsoring the measure for the eighth consecutive year, Norton said she understood many lawmakers opposed the bill because of the possibility of lawsuits against private business owners and because a similar measure failed to gain support last week.
“I’m willing to bag it up today and come back next year with those who are willing to step forward,” Norton said, adding she’s open to making changes to her perennial bill.
The committee also deferred HB 878 by Rep. Joseph Bouie, D-New Orleans, to expand the Equal Pay for Women Act to contractors working with public entities, such as companies hired to do renovations on university campuses or provide IT work for government buildings. The committee members voted it down 8-4.
The committee also shot down HB 387 by Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, which would have recreated the Equal Pay Commission, within the Louisiana Workforce Commission, to study gender pay issues and recommend legislation to lawmakers.
“I think the overall goal of this is to have an open discussion about the issue,” Jackson said. “This group looks at the issue holistically, it looks at the workforce as a whole and that’s something that this legislative body hasn’t been able to do.”
The commission must be recreated each year legislatively. Jackson said no bills were backed by the commission for the ongoing regular session.
“I don’t know how many years they’ve been studying this issue without coming up with legislation,” said Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton.
Several members of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the composition of the commission, which consists of appointed laborers from varied backgrounds, members of the NAACP and representatives of the National Federation of Independent Business and several universities.
Rep. Scott Simon, R-Abita Springs, said he felt the commission didn’t have enough representation from those who oversee the hiring of workers. Others doubted the study commission’s effectiveness. The bill was deferred by an 8-5 vote.
—D.B. Narveson
Jeremy Alford, D.B. Narveson and Gordon Brillon will publish a daily update throughout the legislative regular session on Daily Report PM. Alford reports on Louisiana politics at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
