Hagan makes maiden speech in Senate

Sen. Kay Hagan spoke on the Senate floor today.

The Greensboro Democrat used her first speech in the Senate chambers to urge support for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would amend the rules under which a person is compensated for discrimination.

"When someone is discriminated against in the workplace or anywhere else, surely they feel the impact of that discrimination far longer than 180 days," she said.

She added that the bill would not place "an undue burden" on employers by opening them up to litigation based on claims from decades ago.

"It simply says, for all of the legal jargon, that it's not acceptable for women to make less than men for the same job, with the same qualifications and with the same performance," she said.

Hagan is one of 53 cosponsors of the Senate version of the bill.

Related: Some senators wait weeks, months or even years to speak first, but Senate historians say that's no longer the case.

The full text of Hagan's remarks after the jump.

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Thank you, Mr. President.

I rise today in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Before I do so, please allow me to thank my colleagues in the U.S. Senate, so many of whom have gone out of their way to help welcome me into this body.

Both Majority Leader Reid and Senator Durbin have made these first days in the U.S. Senate as smooth as possible, as has the entire Democratic leadership, Senators Schumer, Murray, Dorgan and Stabenow. These first few weeks in the U.S. Senate are an exercise in thinking on your feet, adapting quickly and soaking it all in. I appreciate all they have done to help me hit the ground running. Their advice and guidance has been so important to me.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, including Leader McConnell and especially the senior senator from North Carolina, Richard Burr, have also been so very helpful to both me and my staff. There is too much to be done in this country to differentiate between a "Republican" idea and a "Democratic" idea — we just need good ideas, and I hope to work with all of my colleagues to identify and implement as many as we can.

And thanks also to the primary sponsor of this bill, Senator Mikulski, who I was honored to have walk with me as I was sworn in as one of 100 senators and one of 17 female senators in this body. Senator Mikulski, who has led the way for women her entire career, I want to thank you for your leadership in this body and on this important bill. I’m honored to be one of the 16 other women you’ve paved the way for.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help deliver for those in our country who are struggling to provide for themselves and their families. A few days before our new President is sworn in, there is a sense of urgency, but also a sense of optimism, and I'm so honored to be a part of this body at this historic time.

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As I said, I rise today to in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which will restore protections against pay discrimination in the workplace. The bill would reestablish a fair rule for filing claims of pay discrimination based on race, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability. A few months ago this bill’s namesake, Lilly Ledbetter, joined me at several roundtable events in North Carolina. Her courage and determination was inspiring. She is committed to this cause, even though it’s too late to do anything in her own case.

In North Carolina, families are facing a serious enough challenge trying to make ends meet on a full paycheck — never mind trying to do so on a paycheck reduced by discrimination. Women in my home state make an average of 78 cents for every dollar that men make for similar jobs and responsibilities. In these tough economic times, when families are being forced to choose between putting food on the table and filling a prescription; can no longer afford the payments on their house – their own small part of the American Dream; are being forced to dip into their savings to help pay their bills; why would anyone find it acceptable for women to make less than men? Or white workers to make more than African Americans? Or for someone to be discriminated against based on national origin, religion, or disability? Why would we allow it to be more difficult for working families, instead of less?

When someone is discriminated against in the workplace or anywhere else, surely they feel the impact of that discrimination far longer than 180 days.

This bill would restore a reasonable time limit for filing pay discrimination claims, re-establishing the long-standing rule applied by nine courts of appeals and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in pay discrimination cases before the unfortunate Supreme Court decision in May of 2007.

Importantly, this bill does not hold employers responsible for decades and decades of back pay. Current law limits back pay awards to two years before the worker filed the claim. This bill does not change that.

Mr. President, when discrimination in the workplace results in a lower wage for those discriminated against, the people responsible should be held accountable. This bill helps them to do that. In does not place an undue burden on employers, nor does it open them up to decades-old litigation. It simply says, for all of the legal jargon, that it’s not acceptable for women to make less than men for the same job, with the same qualifications and with the same performance. In 2009, that’s not too much to ask.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.