Recognizing the duty of Congress to meet the needs of working women.
- Bill Number
- H.Con.Res. 80
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-25: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-04T08:07:52Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 80) expresses Congress's recognition of its responsibility to address the needs of working women in the United States. It highlights ongoing challenges like wage gaps, discrimination, and recent policy actions that have harmed women's workplace rights, aiming to affirm commitments to gender equity and economic security for women.
Key Provisions
The resolution is structured around a series of "Whereas" clauses that outline problems faced by working women, followed by a "Resolved" section with 12 specific affirmations and commitments by Congress:
- Affirmative duties: Congress recognizes its obligation to ensure equal workforce opportunities for women as essential for economic security, innovation, and national prosperity.
- Commitments to economic prosperity: Affirms support for equal pay for equal work, pay transparency, discrimination-free workplaces, workplace safety standards, comprehensive health care (including reproductive care), affordable childcare and early education, paid family and medical leave, paid sick days, predictable scheduling, fair labor standards, and access to affordable housing, education, and job training.
- Protections for all women: Commits to ensuring women of all races, immigration statuses, languages, and occupations can work with dignity, free from violence, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and abuse.
- Value of all work: Recognizes the importance of domestic and part-time work, obligating fair pay, benefits, protections, and conditions for such roles.
- Condemnation of harmful actions: Condemns policies that weaken civil rights enforcement, reduce workplace protections, limit health care access, or threaten women's economic security.
- Agency restoration: Commits to strengthening federal agencies fighting workplace discrimination, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC, which enforces laws against job discrimination) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (which ensures equal opportunity for federal contractors).
- Wage and job access reforms: Reaffirms raising the federal minimum wage, eliminating tipped and subminimum wages, and expanding high-paying jobs by breaking down occupational segregation (where certain jobs are dominated by one gender).
- Union rights: Recognizes workers' rights to join unions and bargain collectively without interference, noting unions help narrow gender pay gaps.
- Collaborative call: Urges federal, state, and local governments, employers, labor organizations, and communities to work together to eliminate harassment and discrimination.
- National priority: Declares addressing working women's needs as vital to U.S. prosperity.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This is a non-binding concurrent resolution, meaning it does not create new laws, amend statutes, or enforce changes. It serves as a formal statement of Congress's views and does not introduce legal alterations to existing laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (which prohibits wage discrimination based on sex) or other labor protections.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Could encourage increased funding and staffing for agencies like the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau (focused on women's economic opportunities since 1920) and EEOC, countering recent reductions in enforcement capacity. It criticizes mass layoffs in women-majority agencies (e.g., Departments of Veterans Affairs, Education, Health and Human Services), potentially influencing future budgets and oversight.
- On citizens: Raises awareness of issues like rising unemployment among women (especially Black women), workforce exits (over 455,000 women in 2025), and widening wage gaps, which may mobilize support for policies benefiting working women, families, and caregivers. It highlights disproportionate burdens on women of color, immigrant women, and mothers.
- On international relations: Minimal direct impact, though it notes opposition to eliminating programs advancing gender equity abroad, which could signal U.S. commitment to global women's rights in diplomatic contexts.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Working women: Primary focus, including the approximately 75 million in the U.S. workforce, especially women of color, Black mothers, immigrant women, and those in caregiving, public sector, or low-wage roles.
- Federal agencies and programs: Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and others; entities like the Women's Bureau, EEOC, and apprenticeship programs.
- Employers and contractors: Private businesses, federal contractors, and grant recipients urged to maintain equity efforts and avoid discrimination.
- Labor organizations and unions: Supported for advancing pay equity and worker rights.
- Government branches: Congress (as the "first branch"), the executive administration (criticized for rollbacks), and state/local governments called to collaborate.
- Broader society: Families, communities, and the economy, as women's participation is tied to national growth and stability.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces existing civil rights frameworks (e.g., equal protection under the law) without creating enforceable obligations; it critiques loopholes in laws like the Equal Pay Act and calls for stronger enforcement against harassment and wage theft.
- Constitutional: Aligns with the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment (which requires fair treatment under the law, including against sex-based discrimination), emphasizing Congress's role in safeguarding these rights.
- Political: Serves as a partisan critique of the current administration's actions (e.g., targeting women's programs, union erosion, and layoffs), potentially galvanizing legislative efforts for gender equity bills. As a sense-of-Congress resolution, it has symbolic weight to influence public opinion, future policy debates, and bipartisan cooperation on women's issues, but lacks binding force.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
Cosponsors (24)
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3], Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24], Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20], Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9], Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large], Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6], Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3], Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7], Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9], Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1], Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12], Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6], Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6], Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-25: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2026-03-25: Submitted in House
- 2026-03-25: Submitted in House
Bill Versions
- Recognizing the duty of Congress to meet the needs of working women. — issued 2026-03-25 — PDF (7 pages)