Gender Wage Gap Bill Passes House as Democrats Press for Equity

House lawmakers passed legislation Thursday to close pay gaps for women by tackling loopholes in federal wage equity law, a priority for President Joe Biden’s administration.

The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7) would prohibit employers from using wage history to determine an employee’s salary, and would ban retaliation against workers for discussing pay. It would also narrow the acceptable defenses companies can cite when there is pay disparity among workers.

The bill was approved on a 217-210 vote. It previously cleared the chamber on a largely party-line vote in 2019, but wasn’t considered by the Republican-controlled Senate.

A woman works at a construction project along a road on April 9, 2021 in Pawtucket, R.I.

Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Business ...