GENDER EQUALITY

Joe Sestak believes in building better lives and futures for working families – particularly America’s women. Today, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn and 40 percent of women are their family’s main wage earner. To ensure the opportunity for a more secure future for women and their families, Joe believes we need to ensure that women are not only provided fair wages, but also benefits that are based on their performance; equal rights to challenge unfair labor practices, secure health and safety – including the right to choose – skill training in fields that are underrepresented by women; and secure retirements and pensions that guarantee their independence and economic security in the coming years.

ELIMINATING WAGE DISCRIMINATION

1.Original CO-SPONSOR AND VOTED FOR THE PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

Places the burden of proof on employers when gender pay disparity exists, and protects employee whistleblowers.

2.ORIGINAL CO-SPONSOR AND VOTED FOR THE LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT

Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to increase the statute of limitations for gender pay discrimination. 

BROADENING  BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

1.VOTED FOR SBA WOMEN’S BUSINESS PROGRAMS ACT

Would have revised the funding formula for Women Business Centers, required the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) to conduct a study of the challenges facing women entrepreneurs, and required the NWBC to report biannually on its progress.

2.INTRODUCED SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ACT

Enhances two critical Small Business Administration (SBA) Entrepreneurial Development programs:  Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), including Women Business Development Centers, and the Service Corps for Retired Executives (SCORE).

3.VOTED FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS ACT

Would have added changes to the Small Business Administration’s federal contracting programs that would open up new opportunities for small businesses, including women, veteran and minority-owned firms.

4.INTRODUCED SBA TRADE PROGRAMS ACT

Helps entrepreneurs overcome dislocations due to global trends through outreach centers, including Women’s Business Centers.

ENSURING WOMEN’S HEALTH SECURITY

CO-SPONSORED/VOTED FOR NATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH WEEK

Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week. Recognizes the importance of: (1) preventing diseases that commonly affect women; and (2) federal, state, and private programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women.

CO-SPONSORED/VOTED FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Supports the goals of International Women's Day; recognizes and honors the women who have fought and continue to struggle for equality; reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring their safety and welfare, and to pursuing policies that guarantee their basic rights.

CO-SPONSORED THE WOMEN VETERANS HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT ACT

Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) study barriers encountered by women veterans to the provision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of comprehensive health care; (2) assess all health care services and programs provided by the VA for women veterans; (3) provide graduate education, training and certification for mental health professionals who provide counseling, care, and services to women veterans suffering from sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and (4) carry out a pilot program of child care for certain women veterans receiving health care from VA facilities. 

CO-SPONSORED THE COMPASSIONATE ASSISTANCE FOR RAPE EMERGENCIES ACT

Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act or to a state, with respect to hospital services, under title XIX (Medicaid) of such Act, unless the hospital meets certain conditions related to a woman who is a victim of sexual assault, including that the hospital: (1) provides the woman with accurate and unbiased information about emergency contraception; (2) offers emergency contraception to the woman; (3) provides the woman such contraception at the hospital on her request; and (4) does not deny any such services because of the inability of the woman or her family to pay.

5.CO-SPONSORED/VOTED FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENT PROTECTION ACT OF 2008

Requires that health plans provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay of two days for mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer and coverage for secondary consultations.

CO-SPONSORED/VOTED FOR THE BREAST CANCER ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT

Improves the flexibility of grants awarded to public and not-for-profit entities for the development and operation of centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.

CO-SPONSORED MAMMOGRAM AND MRI AVAILABILITY ACT OF 2009

Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides coverage for diagnostic mammography for any woman 40 years old or older to provide no less favorable coverage for annual screening mammography for such a woman, and diagnostic mammography, annual screening mammography, and annual magnetic resonance imaging for any high risk woman.

SUMMITS, ROUNDTABLES, AND MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES FOR WOMEN

1. HOSTED A WOMEN IN BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

Invited representatives from 7 area women-owned businesses.

2. HOSTED A WOMEN BUSINESS SUMMIT

Brought together Chairwoman Velazquez and women from across our region to start a dialogue on the challenges of women in the workplace and women small business owners.

3. AUTHORED A CONGRESSIONAL CITATION FOR THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

Congratulates and honors the League of Women Voters on its 78th anniversary.

4. SPONSOR OF A WOMEN IN BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Committee is made up of 16 professional business women from our community.

SUMMARY OF FUTURE INITIATIVES

EXPANDING WOMEN’S EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Expand career and technical education for women in non-traditional fields: Support major federal investment in pre-vocational and vocational programs that are geared at improving women’s participation and employment in non-traditional fields.

Address gender inequality in the treatment of women and girls with disabilities— only 56% of teenage girls with disabilities receive job training assistance.

Increase Women’s Access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education: High school girls represent only 17 percent of computer science Advanced Placement test takers. Joe believes women and schools should be provided incentives for encouraging higher participation in STEM by providing loan forgiveness programs for women that apply technical education skills to public projects and offer schools, colleges, and vocational programs incentives for admitting and graduating women.

SUPPORTING WOMEN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Make Small Business Lending more Accessible to Women: Make the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Community Express Program permanent. The program represents approximately one out of every four SBA loans to women and minorities.

EXPAND HEALTH SECURITY FOR WOMEN

Maintain Reproductive Rights in Health Reform: As a member of the House Education and Labor 

Committee, Joe is working to ensure that women’s access to reproductive health is not restricted under urgently needed healthcare reform efforts.

Eliminate Gender Disparities in Healthcare Coverage: Prevent health insurers from rating

premiums based on gender and ensuring coverage for women’s healthcare, including reproductive coverage.