CIVIL RIGHTS & MINORITY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTS  THE XXXX RECORD LILY LEDBETTER / FAIR PAY XXXX Voted Against Allowing Victims of Wage Discrimination to Seek Remedies in Court. In January 2009, XXXX voted against a bill to make it easier for victims of wage discrimination to seek remedies in court. The bill was inspired by the 2007 Supreme Court case of Lilly Ledbetter, an Alabama employee of a Goodyear Tire Plant who discovered after nearly 20 years that she had been paid less than her male counterparts. The court ruled, 5-4, that Ledbetter couldn’t sue because she had filed her case more than 180 days after she was first hired at an unfair wage. The bill would amend that statute of limitations to apply to each discriminatory paycheck or action. But Senate Democrats, led by bill sponsor and floor manager Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., said the bill was simply a return to the pre-Ledbetter interpretation of the law. The bill passed 61-36. [CQ Today, 1/22/09; Vote 14, 1/22/09]  XXXX Voted Against Considering Fair Pay Legislation. In January 2009, XXXX voted against considering a bill that would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the alleged discriminatory decision. The motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the motion to proceed to the bill was agreed to 72-23. [Vote 4, 1/15/09] XXXX Voted to Block Bill to Eliminate Time Restrictions in Wage Discrimination Cases. In April 2008, XXXX voted to block consideration of a bill to reverse a Supreme Court decision in a wage discrimination case. The bill was intended to undo last year’s Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Rubber & Tire Co. The court ruled, 5-4 that workers filing suit for pay discrimination must do so within 180 days of the actual decision to discriminate against them. The motion to invoke cloture failed 56-42. [CQ Today, 4/23/08; Vote 110, 4/23/08] XXXX Voted Not To Permit Unlimited Damages In Gender Discrimination Lawsuits. In 2000, XXXX voted against an amendment that would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to permit unlimited compensatory and punitive damages to be awarded in gender discrimination lawsuits regarding pay rates, including in class-action lawsuits, and would increase the burden on employers to prove that any pay rate differentials between jobs primarily held by men and jobs primarily held by women were based on bona fide factors, such as education or experience. The motion was rejected, 45-53. [Vote 203, 7/17/00] GAY RIGHTS XXXX Voted Against Defense Authorization Bill And Repeal Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy. In September 2010, XXXX voted against a motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the motion to proceed to the bill that would authorize $725.7 billion in discretionary funding for defense programs in fiscal 2011. It also would repeal a 1993 law that codifies the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on military service by openly gay men and women. [CQ; Vote 238, 9/21/10] XXXX Voted Against Expanding Hate Crimes Legislation. In October 2009, XXXX voted against the conference report of the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill that contained an expansion of federal hate crimes law to cover offenses committed on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation, a goal long sought by Democrats. The bill passed 68-29. [CQ Today, 10/22/09; Vote 327, 10/22/09] 34