ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 169
BY REPRESENTATIVES COX AND BROADWATER
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Workforce Commission to provide information regarding
gender discrimination by pay disparity and to make the information available to
employers for the purpose of educating employees regarding intentional
discrimination laws and on the procedures in place for violations of those laws.
WHEREAS, the issue of gender discrimination by pay disparity has been at the
forefront in recent legislative sessions in Louisiana and around the nation with legislation
filed to ensure that employees are paid equally for the same work regardless of gender; and
WHEREAS, the pay disparity between men and women in the state of Louisiana is
significant and leads to a higher poverty rate in our state due to the number of households
led by a single mother; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 23:332 prohibits intentionally paying wages to an employee at a
rate less than that of another employee of the opposite sex for equal work on a job in which
their performance requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility and which are performed
under similar working conditions; and
WHEREAS, in the event of discrimination, complaints for an investigation may be
filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
2000e, et seq., or with the Louisiana Commission of Human Rights, pursuant to Chapter 38
of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statues of 1950, or a civil cause of action may be filed
pursuant to R.S. 23:303 with penalties when appropriate; and
WHEREAS, with proper knowledge and notice, employees within our state can be
aware of this law and of their rights; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Workforce Commission (commission) is charged by R.S.
23:1 with the administration and enforcement of all labor laws, rules, policies, and
regulations as well as the responsibility to meet the needs of employees, job-seekers, and
employers seeking to hire a skilled workforce; and
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WHEREAS, R.S. 23:15 requires that every employer keep conspicuously posted in
or about the premises wherein any worker is employed, a printed copy or abstract of those
labor laws which the executive director of the commission may designate, in a form to be
furnished by the executive director; and
WHEREAS, the commission maintains an internet webpage on which employers can
view and download the posters mandated by state and federal law; and
WHEREAS, although not a mandatory poster, if made available on the webpage, a
poster containing the laws regarding gender discrimination by pay disparity and the remedies
for any violations can be viewed by employers when employers visit the commission's web
page to obtain mandatory posters; and
WHEREAS, chambers of commerce serve to promote business interests and
disseminate information to member businesses; and
WHEREAS, a poster made available to chambers of commerce can be distributed
to member businesses to further ensure that businesses throughout our state are provided
with information that is important for their protection and for that of their employees; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the state's employers and workforce to be
informed of the prohibition against intentional discrimination in employment by pay
disparity based on gender.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Louisiana Workforce Commission to create a poster and make it
available to employers and chambers of commerce to ably inform employees of their rights
and the procedures to remedy any violation of those rights regarding gender discrimination
by pay disparity.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the poster be available on the commission's
webpage so that it is readily available to all employers and employees within the state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Louisiana Commission on Human Rights and the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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