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Equal Pay Bill Heads To Oregon Governor's Desk

Chris Lehman
/
Northwest News Network

Oregon lawmakers have signed off on a measure to ensure that women will be paid the same as men. The Oregon House approved the bill Monday.

It would ban some practices that can lead to unequal pay, such as using salary history to screen job applicants. The bill would also give more legal remedies to workers who feel they're being paid unfairly.

Republican Rep. Jodi Hack said the bill was long past due.

"I, as well as many other people, have experienced pay inequity,” she said. “But it's not just about the pay. It's about recognizing people for their hard work and for their efforts, and for what they bring to the table, and for giving our employers the opportunity to step forward and to do what is right."

The Oregon Senate approved the measure last week. The vote was unanimous in both chambers. A spokesman for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the governor is expected to sign the bill into law next week.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.
Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.