Connecticut Lawmakers Mark Equal Pay Day With Push for Salary Transparency Bill

by Karla Ciaglo CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT – On Equal Pay Day, the date marking how far into the year women must work, on average, to earn what men made in the previous calendar year, Connecticut lawmakers and advocates gathered at the Legislative Office Building to call for stronger wage transparency.

Equal Pay Day fell on March 25 this year, based on national data from the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. The date reflects the average wage gap between men and all women working full-time, year-round. But within that average, women of color are paid less, and their Equal Pay Days fall significantly later in the year.

“Equal Pay Day is not a celebration,” said Rep. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, a co-sponsor of the bill. “It is a true acknowledgement of what it takes women in Connecticut – what they need to do – to work to catch up with what men have made in their lives in the year before.” 

Farrar noted that women in Connecticut earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by men. Latina women make 49 cents to the dollar of white non-Hispanic men, and Black women make 59 cents.

She discussed House Bill 6517, which would require employers to include salary ranges and general descriptions of benefits in job postings and to share that information during hiring, promotions, and annually upon request. The bill prohibits retaliation and gives employees the right to file civil claims. Employers found in violation could face statutory damages of $1,000 to $10,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, along with legal fees and potential punitive damages.

Rep. Hilda Santiago, D-Meriden, spoke about working multiple jobs to support her family. 

“There was a time when I was making $4.35 in a Head Start program driving a school bus because I made more than the teachers inside the classroom,” she said. “I’ve had to work three jobs to raise two children in order to pay bills and keep a roof over my head.”

State Rep. Hilda Santiago speaks to reporters about Equal Pay legislation during a news conference Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Hartford. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N

Rep. Anne Hughes, D-Easton, a social worker and member of the Labor Committee, said the lack of pay transparency wastes time and reinforces inequity. 

“It is normalized for social workers like me to apply for a job that I have to get to the third interview before I understand or hear what the salary range is,” she said. “That is wasting all of our time, including the employer’s time.”

She also addressed the pushback the bill has received.

“There are certain dudes on our committee that say no, it’s working fine the way it is. Maybe for you, but not for all of us,” Hughes said. “When we center white men, it’s working fine for them – but that’s because it’s based off of the exploitation and undervaluing of what is seen as female-led workforces.”

Sen. Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, a Trumbull Democrat who serves as vice chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, reflected on how early career decisions affected her long-term earnings.

“That salary difference could be projected over a period of 25 years to be more than $50,000,” she said. “Women’s empowerment is directly linked to economic equality and pay equity.”

Miranda Munfielsen, board president of the nonprofit She Leads Justice, stated how Equal Pay Day shifts depending on race.

“Equal Pay Day for Black women like myself is not until July 10,” Munrielson said. “That means we needed to work all of 2024 plus an extra seven months this year to earn what a white man earned in 2024 at that time. Latinas will need to work until they are 103 years old. I want my whole dollar. I already earned it.”

Rep. Rebecca Martinez, D-Farmington, shared her son’s reaction when she explained the meaning of Equal Pay Day.

“He said one word: ‘Still?’ And I said, ‘Exactly.’ Women are constantly multitasking and doing a million things at once – and they are really, really good at it,” Keitt said. “So it is time that they do deserve their dollar.”

State Rep. Rebecca Martinez speaks to reporters about Equal Pay legislation during a news conference Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Hartford. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N

This year’s Equal Pay Day was the first since the passing of Lilly Ledbetter in October 2024. A factory supervisor at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plant in Gadsden, Alabama, Ledbetter became a national symbol for pay equity after filing a lawsuit over wage discrimination. Her case led Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. Though not mentioned by name at the event, her legacy remains synonymous with the fight for equal pay and continues to shape the conversation around fairness and transparency.

HB 6517 would take effect Oct. 1. It would apply to any job performed in Connecticut or supervised from within the state, including remote positions. Employers posting job openings, whether internal or external, would be required to include salary ranges and general benefit information.

“Until women make what they earn and make what they’re worth, our work will not stop,” Farrar said in closing.

Paul Amarone, public policy associate & advocacy manager for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, submitted testimony in opposition to HB 6517, suggesting that it will reduce employers’ flexibility in their effort to hire as quickly as possible.

“While some employers make the decision to disclose salary ranges and benefit information for open positions, requiring the disclosure of salary ranges and detailed benefits analysis for all vacant positions, both internally and externally, eliminates an employer’s ability to adjust a position to suit a candidate based on a variety of factors, or make changes to positions based on changing business operations and needs,” Amarone wrote. “In some cases, prospective candidates for open positions may be dissuaded from applying for positions. For candidates at the high end of a posted salary range, they may be dissuaded to apply, as the posted salary range does not fit their desirable salary. For less experienced candidates, employers lose the ability to be flexible to adjust the salary based on that individual’s experience, even if they don’t fit all of the mandated job description requirements.”