Senate Democrats Push Paycheck Fairness Act Ahead Of Tuesday Vote

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday, following a public relations push by the White House and congressional Democrats in favor of the pay equity bill, which has been largely opposed by Republicans.

The Senate will hold a procedural cloture vote on the bill, although Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, has already acknowledged that he does not think it will receive the 60 votes needed to move forward without Republican support.

Republicans are filibustering the Paycheck Fairness Act -- legislation that would help even the playing field for women in the workforce. ... It appears Republicans will wind up on the wrong side of this issue as well, sending the message to little girls across the country that their work is less valuable because they happened to be born female, Reid said on Monday, according to Roll Call.

Supporters say the legislation would close loopholes in the landmark Equal Pay Act by making it easier for women to sue for wage discrimination. It would also require employers to demonstrate a wage gap between a man and women working similar jobs is the result of factors other than gender.

Republicans argue the bill is unnecessary because the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in addition to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, already protect women form pay equity discrimination. However, the pay gap has close at a rate of less than half-a-penny a year since their passage. In 1963, women, on average, made 59 cents for every dollar earned by a man -- by 2010, that figure had only increased to 77 cents on the dollar, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Although Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney claims he supports pay equity for women, he has refused to endorse the Paycheck Fairness Act.