National Pay Transparency Bill Proposed

With states and municipalities across the country enacting pay transparency laws, a bill was recently introduced in Congress that would require disclosure of pay ranges to address concerns with pay equity nationwide. On March 14, 2023, United States Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the "Salary Transparency Act," or H.R. 1599, which would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require covered employers to disclose the "wage range" for open positions in job postings made publicly and internally.

'Fail or Refuse to Disclose'

The bill would make it unlawful for employers to "fail or refuse to disclose" the "wage or wage range" for employment opportunities in public or internal postings. In situations in which a posting has not been made available to an applicant, employers would be required to disclose the wage range for the job "prior to discussing compensation with the applicant and at any time upon the applicant's request."