Mississippi is no longer the sole state without an equal-pay law on the books after Gov. Tate Reeves signed the Mississippi Equal Pay for Equal Work Act into law Thursday with state Attorney General Lynn Fitch at his side.
On Thursday, the Mississippi Legislature sent the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk, potentially paving the way for the Magnolia State to end its distinction as the only state without such a law. But the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, a leading group that has lobbied for legislation guaranteeing equal pay for women for years, was not celebrating.
Wage disparities could widen for women and women of color in particular if either of two “Equal Pay” bills in the Mississippi Legislature become law, the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable and leading equal pay activist Lilly Ledbetter warn.
Mississippi is the only state in the union with no equal pay law, but the Mississippi Senate’s Labor Committee took up the issue once again on Sept. 29, hosting a public meeting where the committee heard from advocates for pay equity, who all agreed that Mississippi’s conspicuous lack of a law to protect half of its workforce was damning.
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