Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) today voted for the Women’s Equality Pay Act, A.6075, a bill unanimously supported that reinforces current law prohibiting discrimination in pay due to gender. The bill is one portion of the Women’s Equality Agenda (WEA) that has broad bipartisan support.

“I am honored to have stood up for women in the fight for reform and equality in pay. Working together in a bipartisan approach we can close the discrimination gap that still exists in some parts of our society,” said Blankenbush. “We will be a stronger community if we focus on the talents and merits of individuals instead of their demographic makeup. It’s been a long time coming, but I am pleased that we’ve passed important reforms that support and protect women.”

Blankenbush has long been an advocate of breaking each tenet of the WEA into individual bills, 90 percent of which are unanimously supported. Under the previous Speaker, this important legislation was held back due to political posturing. Now, the individual points have been making it to the Assembly floor for a vote, like the human trafficking portion of the measure. Blankenbush counts these incremental movements forward as progress compared to the two-year stalemate that existed before.