Congressman Mike Coffman's Record on Equal Pay Exposed Amid National Equal Pay Day

As National Equal Pay Day serves as a reminder of the persisting gender pay gap in the United States, Congressman Mike Coffman's legislative record on equal pay measures has come under scrutiny. Coffman, who is running for the Senate in Colorado, has spent 26 years in politics, consistently opposing legislation aimed at closing the pay gap between men and women.

Key Takeaways:

• Congressman Mike Coffman has voted against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which aimed to give women more tools to fight for pay equity, on two separate occasions in 2009.
• Coffman opposed the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would require employers to prove that pay disparities between men and women are job-related, and prohibit retaliation against employees who share salary information.
• The gender pay gap in Colorado is significantly wider than the national average, with women earning 78 cents for every dollar earned by men.
• Women make up roughly half of Colorado's workforce, emphasizing their importance in the state's economy.
• Coffman's voting record on equal pay measures has sparked criticism from the Colorado Democratic Party, which has pointed out the importance of equal pay for equal work.

Statistics:

• Women in Colorado make just 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
• Women earn a median weekly full-time wage of $762 in Colorado, compared to $978 for men.
• Nationally, women working full-time earn 82.1% of what men do, with women earning a median wage of $706 per week and men earning $860.
• Women make up nearly half of Colorado's workforce, with over 2.5 million women and girls comprising half of the state's population.

Sources:

• Colorado Democratic Party press release on National Equal Pay Day.
• CQ House Action Reports Legislative Week, 1/26/09.
• S 181, Vote37, 1/27/09.
• CQ Votes, Vote 8, 1/9/09.
• Denver Post, "Gender Wage Gap Widens In Colorado; Bigger Than National Figure", 1/23/15.
• KKCO News 11, 6/13/13.