What Is The First Piece Of Legislation Signed By Obama ?
The first piece of legislation signed by Obama is the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, or the equal pay legislation. This act was named after a woman from Alabama. Her 19-year career as a supervisor of a tire factory led her to complain that she was paid less than men. |
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The president said, "It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.”
President Obama said that he was not signing the first piece of legislation only for Lilly but also for his grandmother. Obama's grandmother was someone who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up again. He said that it was also for his daughters, as he wanted them to grow up in a country that valued their contributions, and where there were no limitations for them to grow and excel in their careers.
Now 70, Ms. Ledbetter found out when she was about to retire that her male colleagues were earning much more than she was. A jury said that her employer, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company plant in Gadsden, Alabama, was guilty of pay discrimination. But, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court threw the case out, ruling that she should have filed her suit within 180 days of the date, that her employer first paid her less than her male peers. But this did not shake Ms. Ledbetter. She said that she would never see a cent from Goodyear, but she did not want any, because in addition to being a celebrity now, she has the satisfaction of other people not being treated like her from now on.
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