On Jan. 22, 2009, the U.S. Senate passed the Lilly Ledbetter
Fair Pay Act of 2009 by a vote of 61-36. The U.S House of
Representatives passed the Act on Jan. 9, 2009, after combining it
with the Paycheck Fairness Act. The act is now expected to be
considered for final approval on the House floor on Tuesday, Jan.
27, before being sent to President Obama's desk for signature
into law.
The Ledbetter Act is Congress' response to the U.S. Supreme
Court's 2007 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co., which held pay discrimination claims under Title
VII are time-barred when plaintiffs fail to file charges with the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 180 days (or 300
days in deferral states) of the discriminatory pay decision. The
plaintiff, Lilly Ledbetter, filed an EEOC charge in July 1998 and a
federal lawsuit that November, alleging pay discrimination from
1992 until her retirement. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected
Ledbetter's argument that each new
