(TRENTON) – Legislation Assembly Democrats Annette Quijano and Elizabeth Muoio sponsored to prohibit the New Jersey Economic Development Authority from providing financial assistance to businesses that engage in gender discrimination was advanced Thursday by the Assembly Labor Committee.
The bill (A-3832) requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to adopt rules and regulations requiring that a business that receives financial assistance from the authority is not to engage in gender discrimination against workers employed at the business.
“Our economic incentive programs are an extension of our values as a state,” said Quijano (D-Union). “This bill would say, resoundingly, that New Jersey does not support discriminatory pay practices and that any company that wants to use economic assistance from taxpayers must conduct business in a way that is fair to all employees. This is about ensuring equal rights.”
“New Jersey should never endorse gender pay discrimination,” said Muoio (D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “This bill makes clear to businesses that if they want financial assistance from taxpayers, they cannot engage in gender discrimination against workers. This is all about fairness and doing the right thing by both taxpayers and workers.”
A business that receives financial assistance from the authority is to submit written documentation, as determined by the authority, verifying that the business is not engaging in gender discrimination.
The bill defines “gender discrimination” as an employment practice in which a business discriminates between its employees on the basis of sex by paying a rate of compensation, including benefits, to employees of one sex less than the rate paid to employees of the other sex for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility.
