Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced a resolution to mark Latina Equal Pay Day and recognize its larger impact on women, families, and the economy. The resolution was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.-03) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44).
“Overall, working Latinas are still being paid far less than their male counterparts—and it’s time we close the pay gap,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to introduce this bicameral resolution to recognize Latina Equal Pay Day and underscore the power Latinas bring to our economy. I’ll continue working to make sure that every woman in Nevada—regardless of her background—receives equal pay for equal work.”
More than 60 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, all Latinas with reported earnings in 2023 were paid just 51 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
Read the full resolution text here.
A third generation Nevadan, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is the first and only Latina in the U.S. Senate and the highest ranking Hispanic Senator in the Democratic Caucus. She passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month in the Senate this year. She helped create a new series of commemorative circulating coins highlighting remarkable American women trailblazers in the U.S.—including Latinas like Celia Cruz, Nina Otero-Warren, and Jovita Idar. She’s leading the charge in the Senate to build the National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall, and she’s working to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the gender wage gap.
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