Did you know that after nearly 40 years of equal pay law, the wage gap continues to plague working American women. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was signed into law. Nationally, women who work full-time are paid 73 cents for every dollar men earn in the same job. Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average woman an estimated $250,000.

The situation is more dire for African-American and Hispanic females. African-American women earn 67 cents for every dollar men earn, while Hispanic women earn only 54 cents. Over a 30-year career, an African-American woman misses out on $360,000 and a Hispanic woman missed out on $510,000.

This is unacceptable.

Equal pay is more than a woman's issue, it's a family issue. The wage gap lowers family incomes that pay for the essentials, like childcare and doctors' bills. When women earn the same as men, all their families benefit.

Unfortunately, the administration's budget proposal eliminates the Equal Pay Initiative, an office in the Department of Labor Women's Bureau dedicated to ending pay discrimination, eliminating occupational segregation and promoting pension equity. This is a step in the wrong direction.

I am working in the right direction. As a member of the Congressional Women's Caucus, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 781, the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill provides women who are not being paid equal wages for equal work with effective remedies for the situation. These include: enhancing equal pay requirements for employers; closing employer loopholes under current equal pay law; increasing investment in enforcement of wage discrimination claims; and rewarding employers who make strides in eliminating pay disparities.

I am working hard to pass this important piece of legislation, and will concentrate on other efforts aimed at closing the wage gap.