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Pelosi Remarks at Working Families Day of Action Press Conference

October 27, 2015

Contact: Drew Hammill/Evangeline George, 202-226-7616

Washington D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks today at the Working Families Day of Action press conference. Below are the Leader's remarks:

"Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman-to-be Bobby Scott.

[Applause]

"Thank you very much for making the Working Families Agenda the working families agenda of Congress and the working families agenda of our country. You have been a champion, presenting an overarching view about how different pieces of legislation come together to improve the quality of life for all of America's working families. Thank you, Bobby Scott, for your great leadership and bringing us all here today. And that is an applause line.

[Applause]

"It's a pleasure to join my colleagues and of course our distinguished Ranking Member, Mr. Scott, and, as he said, our real VIPs, all of you – the champions of hard-working American families during our National Work and Family Month. The success of working families is both the engine and the measure of our economy and our society. And we're here because we know more must be done to give them the justice and opportunity they need, and our country must have, to succeed.

"Today, we're building on the principles of the heart of our ‘When Women Succeed, America Succeeds' economic agenda for working women and working families. Our godmother, [Congresswoman] Rosa DeLauro, will be speaking more to that issue. And this is so much a part of what Bobby is putting forth.

"Today, we are calling for action on a far-ranging agenda for progress for all families. It is my privilege and I've been asked to talk about two particular pieces of the legislation. He has a long list of bills that are part of the Working Families Agenda including this following legislation and maybe more. But today, I was asked to talk about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which there's a fact sheet on it. In supporting pregnant women on the job, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would help prevent employers from forcing pregnant women out of the workplace and help ensure that employers provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant women who want to continue working. This is so very, very important. Many people around here walk around espousing the value of family and family values. This is a family value. So thank you for that particular piece of legislation.

"And one other piece of legislation that he wanted me to talk about – although all of us know we could all talk about all of these but that would be too long – is the Equality Act. In July, under the leadership of [Congressman] David Cicilline and now with Mr. Scott in the lead, we want to make sure LGBT families have the respect and protection they deserve.

"Today, hard-working LGBT Americans are still being denied the chance to work in a job they love because of who they love. LGBT families are denied access to housing and health care; denied access to credit and education; denied freedom from discrimination. This vital legislation also ensures legal protections for women, who will have the legal recourse to fight back for being overcharged for services or denied access to federal funding.

"This is really, very important because we had for a long time wanted to pass ENDA. And as we were putting it all together, it was – ‘Well, wait a minute. We're ending discrimination in the workplace but there is discrimination in many other aspects of life and our society and of our economy.' And so we went to the Civil Rights Bill with the Equality Act to amend it to include LGBT but, at the same time, we were also able to enhance protections for women. It's a great, great bill. I hope that it will become law soon. I hope it will become law under the agenda that Bobby is putting forth.

"One of the groups that has been just such tremendous [with their] intellectual mobilization and in every way whether you want to maneuver inside, convince, mobilize outside, convince – the National Partnership for Women and Families has been in the lead. I think anyone who works here knows we owe a great debt of gratitude to them for what they have done and what they continue to do. And I'm so glad that Vicki Shabo is here to speak for them. Thank you, Vicki."

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Issues:LGBTQ+