The Paycheck Fairness Act was defeated in the U.S. Senate in a 53 to 47 vote along party lines, with two independents voting with the Democrats and one Republican senator not voting (Kirk-IL). The bill needed 60 votes to proceed.
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Get Your Report Now!Senate Republicans stated that while they oppose gender discrimination in the workplace, they felt the Act imposed recordkeeping burdens on businesses and allowed the federal government to collect salary information, according to a report in The Hill. Organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also strongly opposed the Act.
Democrats said the Act would have closed loopholes in the current Equal Pay Act and cited the exemption for small businesses with annual revenues of less than $500,000.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 233-180 against considering the Act.