Fair Pay Act of 2026

This bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to bar employers from paying lower wages for jobs held mostly by one sex, race, or national origin than for equivalent jobs held mostly by another group. Equivalent jobs are jobs that may differ but require a similar mix of skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. Pay differences would still be allowed for seniority, merit, production-based pay, or other job-related factors the employer can justify, and employers could not cut anyone's pay to comply. The bill would bar retaliation against workers who discuss wages, add compensatory and punitive damages, and require employers with 25 or more employees (later 15 or more) to report wage data by sex, race, and national origin to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The changes would take effect one year after enactment.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Eleanor Holmes Norton Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors