Del. bill would bar salary history, aims to rid underlying bias

A new bill addressing potential wage discrimination in the Delaware has been introduced by lawmakers.

House Bill 1, sponsored by House majority leader and District 15 Representative Valerie Longhurst, would bar employers from asking a prospective employee about his or her salary history.

Introduced on Tuesday, Representative Longhurst says bill would eliminate underlying bias when it comes to wages. According to Longhurst, women in Delaware make 11 cents less per dollar than men on average

“What we find is that women right from the get-go, when they put their wage in, on an application…they’re automatically behind the eight-ball,” she says. “They say women will not catch up to men until 2056 and even though we are making great strides, we haven’t taken that big step.”

All 13 female legislators in the Delaware General Assembly are behind the measure, according to Representative Longhurst. The bill has also gotten support from local organizations.

Jean Dowding, Kent County Development Chair for Fund For Women, was one of dozens present at a press conference Tuesday before the bill was formally introduced. Dowding tells 47ABC, she understands the fight for pay equity. 

“40 years ago, I began this fight that is still ongoing. 40 years ago, women did the work…were not paid the work,” she says.

While Representative Longhurst says she’s hopeful the bill will pass, she admits she’s prepared for opposition. 

“I know I’m going to have pushback from the Chambers, the Business Chambers,” says Longhurst. “They’re always going to have that pushback where they don’t want us to tell what businesses should be doing, but if you look at the equality of it bringing up to speed with men, I don’t know how you argue that.”

Longhurst adds the bill is modeled after a Massachusetts law currently in place. If passed, Delaware would be the second state that would make bar employers from asking about salary history before an employee is hired.