Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / May 11 1071 through and help us break this logjam. I hope Proclamation 7306ÐNational Equal and pray that it will. Pay Day, 2000 Q. Any suggestionÐÐ The President. What? May 11, 2000 By the President of the United States Elian Gonzalez and Asylum Law of America Q. Any suggestion as to when a child might be of his own free will? A Proclamation The President. I want to wait. I may want to comment on that later, but I think we Long before President Kennedy signed should, in all fairness, let the Court of Ap- into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women peals issue their ruling, see what the state had proved their ability to contribute to of the law is and then make some sort of America's labor market. During World War judgment about whether legislation is re- II, when labor shortages offered women an quired. unprecedented opportunity to work outside the home, women excelled at jobs tradition- ally reserved for men. Yet, despite their enor- New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani mous contribution to maintaining American Q. Any reaction to the Giuliani news yes- production lines, women in the workforce terday? were paid less than their male counterparts. The President. Well, I wish him and his wife and their children well on the health For most of our Nation's history, in fact, front and on the domestic front. I think that's women have served within a sharply seg- all there isÐall anybody should want. People regated workforce, enjoying fewer edu- in public life have challenges and difficulties cational and training opportunities than men like people in other kinds of life do. and struggling all too often to disprove con- fining stereotypes about their roles and capa- And I've always had a good personal rela- bilities. But throughout the decades, women tionship with Mayor Giuliani. It's not been of courage, energy, and determination have affected by the fact that I think my wife continued to enter the workforce and open would be a better Senator. And on this, I doors of opportunity for succeeding genera- think everybody in New York and everybody tions. Today, more women are in the labor in America ought to be rooting for the human force than ever before; the female unemploy- side of this to work out. We should wish him ment rate is at its lowest in more than 40 well in his struggle over his illness. We years; the poverty rate for households headed should wish that family well. We should want by women is the lowest ever recorded; and the best for their children, and we should the pay gap has narrowed substantially since want some space for all of them, out of the 1963. glare of publicity, to work their family issues out. That's what I want, and I hope he gets Despite these gains, the battle for equal it. pay for women is far from over. Although 37 years have passed since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, the average woman today NOTE: The exchange began at 1:10 p.m. in the must still work an additional 17 weeks a year Rose Garden. In his remarks, the President re- ferred to Mayor Giuliani's wife, Donna Hanover, to earn what the average man earns. That and their children, Andrew and Caroline. The pay gap grows wider as women grow older, press release issued by the Office of the Press and it is widest for women of color. African Secretary did not include the complete opening American women earn 64 cents for every dol- remarks of this exchange. A tape was not available lar earned by white men, and Hispanic for verification of the content of this exchange. women earn just 55 cents. While some of 1072 May 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 these disparities can be attributed to dif- States of America, do hereby proclaim May ferences in education, experience, and occu- 11, 2000, as National Equal Pay Day. I call pationÐwhich themselves often reflect trou- upon government officials, law enforcement bling inequitiesÐseveral studies confirm that agencies, business leaders, educators, and the a significant pay gap persists even after we American people to recognize the full value account for these factors. of the skills and contributions of women in My Administration has worked hard to en- the labor force. I urge all employers to review sure that every American is treated with fair- their wage practices and ensure that all their ness and dignity in the workplace, and this employees are paid equitably for their work. year I proposed a $27 million equal pay ini- In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set tiative in my fiscal year 2001 budget to com- my hand this eleventh day of May, in the bat unfair pay practices against women. This year of our Lord two thousand, and of the initiative includes $10 million in funding for Independence of the United States of Amer- the Equal Employment Opportunity Com- ica the two hundred and twenty-fourth. mission (EEOC) to identify more quickly and William J. Clinton respond more effectively to wage discrimina- tion. The initiative would also enable the [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, EEOC to launch a public service campaign 8:45 a.m., May 12, 2000] to educate employees and employers about their rights and responsibilities under equal NOTE: This proclamation was published in the pay laws. In addition, the initiative includes Federal Register on May 15. funding for the Department of Labor to train women for jobs they have not traditionally Remarks Prior to a Meeting With held, such as those in the high-paying tech- nology sector, and to help employers recruit Congressional Conferees on the and train qualified women for nontraditional Patients' Bill of Rights and an occupations. Exchange With Reporters I have also urged the Congress to strength- May 11, 2000 en existing wage discrimination laws by promptly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. Africa and Caribbean Basin Trade This proposed legislation would provide in- Legislation creased penalties for equal pay violations; The President. First of all, I would like prohibit employers from punishing employ- to thank this very impressive array of Senate ees who share salary information with co- and House Members for coming, in the workers; and provide funding for research on midst of quite a busy time up on the Hill, wage discrimination and for increased train- as we try to work out the remaining issues ing for EEOC employees who work on wage to get a strong Patients' Bill of Rights passed. discrimination cases. I'd like to begin just by expressing my grat- Throughout the decades, working women itude to, most recently the Senate, but also have persevered in their struggle for equal to the House, for the truly historic Africa/ pay, buoyed by an unshakable faith in their Caribbean Basin trade bill that passed by, I own skills and self-worth and a firm commit- think, 77 votes in the Senate today. And this ment to the ideals of our democracy. On Na- bill passed with big bipartisan majorities in tional Equal Pay Day, I urge all Americans both Houses. And it's an example of the kind to join the crusade to secure equal pay for of thing we can do if we work together. And women and to create a just and honorable I'm very grateful to the Congress for that and work environment in which all our citizens very much looking forward to this bill. are rewarded fairly for their talents, experi- ence, and contributions. Patients' Bill of Rights Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, Last October the House passed the President of the United States of America, Norwood-Dingell bill by a big majority, but by virtue of the authority vested in me by the conferees have not been able to agree the Constitution and laws of the United on a bill which could then be taken back to.