ProgressOhio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner commended President Barack Obama and the US House and Senate for the passage and signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 

The act provides workers with the right to seek compensation for pay inequity for a two-year period without requiring the worker to discover it and file suit within 180 days of a company's initial decision to pay a worker less than it pays another worker doing the same job. 

Lily Ledbetter worked for 19 years at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden, Alabama, but was denied her chance to recover because in 2007 the court determined she discovered it too late. 

"In the passage and signing of this legislation, it is clear that fairness must govern the sacrifices of men and women in doing their parts to help heal the nation's economy.  In the end, policies that promote the quality of life for all Americans produce the most lasting results," said Brunner.

Later this year, Brunner's office will release a web-based index of Ohio life quality indicators to map the status and trends of factors that affect the life quality of Ohioans.  The index is designed to assist with budget and policy making decisions and to provide a "snapshot" of Ohio's workforce to attract new and better jobs to the state.

The Ohio Secretary of State's office serves all Ohioans as the launching point for business in Ohio.  The office provides business filing services, special official filings, and serves as an official partner in the Ohio Business Gateway Project, which offers Ohio's businesses time and money-saving ways to work with state government.