Affordable housing is vital for stable communities and generational wealth. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I’m committed to closing the racial homeownership gap and ensuring everyone has a place to call home. Ms. Hattie B. Dorsey, the founding CEO of Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership Inc. (ANDP), understood that affordable housing is key to family stability. Her legacy continues through developments like Campbellton Ten Townhomes, where I was honored to attend the grand opening. ANDP carries on Ms. Dorsey’s vision, enabling families to build wealth and create lasting memories on Hattie Drive and Dorsey Drive.
Introducing the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act
Despite working full-time year-round, women still earn only 83.7% of what men earn, with even greater disparities for women from marginalized communities—Black women earn 69%, Hispanic women earn 57%, and Native American women earn 59% of what their white male counterparts make. These persistent inequalities compound over time, and at the current pace, it will take another 40 years to close the pay gap for all women, while Black women and Hispanic women might not achieve pay equity until 2144 and 2210, respectively. I re-introduced The Equal Pay for Equal Work Act to combat this issue. This bill aims to address these problems by reinstating the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, originally established during the Obama-Biden Administration, to close enforcement gaps in equal pay laws. Equal pay is crucial for financial stability, yet women, who are often the primary or sole breadwinners for over half of families with children, continue to face pay inequity. Closing the gender pay gap has the potential to lift millions of children and families out of poverty and ensure fair compensation for all workers.
The current farm bill cuts $30 billion from SNAP which would disproportionately impact women and children. My Democratic Women's Caucus colleagues and I sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging him to revise the bill. We can’t leave our most vulnerable behind.
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