Congressman Hoyer is focused on taking additional steps to ensure equal pay for equal work and set more women on a path of economic success.
Will take additional steps to ensure equal pay for equal work and close the gender pay gap.
Occurrences
Congressman Hoyer is committed to building on this progress.
Steny H. Hoyer (MD) is listed as a cosponsor of H.R. 17, the Paycheck Fairness Act, whose full title is: "To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes."
Evidence
Congressman Hoyer is focused on taking additional steps to ensure equal pay for equal work and set more women on a path of economic success beyond COVID-19. He was pleased to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the House Floor earlier this year to close the gender pay gap and ensure that equal pay means equal work.
Actions Overview: 01/28/2021 Introduced in House. 04/15/2021 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 217 - 210 (Roll no. 108). 06/08/2021 Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 49 - 50.
Cosponsors list includes Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5]* on 01/28/2021.
Ms. DeLauro (for herself, ... Mr. Hoyer, ... ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ... Bill Version: Introduced in House (IH). Short Title: Paycheck Fairness Act.
The official 119th Congress bill page shows H.R. 17, the Paycheck Fairness Act, was introduced in the House on 2025-03-25, referred to the Committees on Education and Workforce and Oversight and Government Reform, and remains in Introduced status; Steny H. Hoyer is listed among the cosponsors.
House Roll Call 108 shows the House passed H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, by a vote of 217-210 on 2021-04-15.
Hoyer's campaign issues page says he is focused on additional steps to ensure equal pay for equal work, cites helping pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and says he brought the Paycheck Fairness Act to the House floor to close the gender pay gap.
Congress.gov lists H.R.17, the Paycheck Fairness Act, as introduced March 25, 2025, referred to House Education and Workforce and Oversight and Government Reform, and still in Introduced status. The cosponsor list includes Rep. Steny H. Hoyer on March 25, 2025.
GovInfo's introduced bill text names Mr. Hoyer among members for whom Ms. DeLauro introduced H.R.17. The bill title states it would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide more effective remedies for sex-based wage discrimination.
Congress.gov lists H.R.17 in the 118th Congress as introduced March 10, 2023, referred to the House Education and the Workforce and Oversight and Accountability committees, and still in Introduced status. Hoyer is listed as an original cosponsor on March 10, 2023.
Congress.gov shows H.R.7 was introduced January 28, 2021, reported by committee, passed the House 217-210 on April 15, 2021, then failed Senate cloture 49-50 on June 8, 2021. Hoyer was an original cosponsor on January 28, 2021.
The House Clerk roll call for H.R.7 records the Paycheck Fairness Act vote as Passed, 217 yeas to 210 nays, and lists Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, voting Yea.
The Senate roll call for H.R.7 states the question was cloture on the motion to proceed to the Paycheck Fairness Act, required three-fifths support, and the result was rejected, 49 yeas to 50 nays.
Congress.gov's passed-House summary says the Paycheck Fairness Act addresses sex-based wage discrimination, narrows employer defenses, strengthens nonretaliation rules, increases civil penalties, directs Labor Department work to eliminate pay disparities, and requires pay-data collection for enforcement.
Assessments
Hoyer took serious federal legislative steps toward the promise, including original cosponsorship of the Paycheck Fairness Act, voting for House passage in 2021, and cosponsoring later versions. But the measure failed in the Senate in the 117th Congress and later versions remained only introduced or in committee, so the promised outcome of ensuring equal pay and closing the gender pay gap was not enacted.
Hoyer materially advanced equal-pay legislation by sponsoring and cosponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act and helping it pass the House, but it did not become law and the current Congress still shows the bill as only introduced and pending in committee. That is a serious effort toward the promise, but not full delivery of closing the gender pay gap.
Hoyer took concrete federal legislative steps toward the promise: he was an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, helped advance it to the House floor, and the House passed it in 2021. However, the bill failed in the Senate and did not become law, and the later 119th Congress version remains only introduced/referred. Because the promised outcome was to ensure equal pay and close the gender pay gap, the available evidence shows a serious same-term effort but not delivery of the substantive outcome.
Hoyer took concrete same-term legislative steps toward the promise by backing the Paycheck Fairness Act, including original cosponsorship and House passage. However, the bill failed in the Senate and did not become law, so the promised outcome of ensuring equal pay and closing the gender pay gap was not delivered.