Equal Pay For Equal Work Act

The bill authorizes the director of the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment (director) to administer and enforce the law that prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee on the basis of sex and to issue awards to employees and impose penalties on employers for violations. The bill removes the director's enforcement authority and instead permits an aggrieved person to bring a civil action in district court to pursue remedies specified in the bill. The bill allows exceptions to the prohibition if the employer demonstrates that a wage differential is based upon one or more factors including a seniority system, a merit system, or a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production or a bona fide factor other than sex.

The bill prohibits an employer from discharging or retaliating against an employee for actions by an employee asserting the rights established by the bill against an employer.

An employer is required to announce to all employees employment advancement opportunities and the pay range for the opportunities. The director is authorized to enforce actions against an employer concerning transparency in pay and employment opportunities, including fines of between $500 and $10,000 per violation.

$85,034 is appropriated from the employment support fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the division of labor standards and statistics.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)