President Biden Signs Cantwell-Capito Equal Pay Bill Into Law, Historic Win for Women’s Equality in Sports
Today, President Biden signed the Cantwell-Capito Equal Pay for Team USA Act into law, making sure all athletes who constitute the USA in international competition – just like the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics – get hold of identical pay and advantages – irrespective of gender.
“Today, the Cantwell-Capito Equal Pay for Team USA Act formally have become law,” stated Sen. Cantwell. “From right here on out, whilst ladies win, they not need to fear that a men’s group will nonetheless by hook or by crook be paid more. This law calls for that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and sports activities’ governing our bodies offer the equal pay, clinical care, tour accommodations, and insurance of charges to U.S. athletes irrespective of gender – or hazard decertification. With President Biden’s signature, we’re making sure that while you put on the Team USA logo, you may certainly be identical.”
“Our Equal Pay for Team USA Act has now come to be law – making sure identical reimbursement for athletes representing our exceptional kingdom in international competitions. When American athletes compete on the sector stage, they constitute our exceptional kingdom, our people, and our values. Therefore, it’s best proper that lady athletes get hold of the equal form of pay and advantages as their male counterparts, and this law does simply that. I’m proud to have championed this bipartisan effort, and stay up for the fine effect this could have on our Team USA athletes now that that is the law of the land,” Senator Capito stated.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) first added the Equal Pay for Team USA Act in 2019, after the sector-champion U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) sued for identical pay. In 2022, the senators re-added the bipartisan invoice, which handed the Committee with unanimous assist on June 22, 2022, the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. The invoice went directly to byskip the Senate unanimously on December eight and handed the House on December 21, 2022 through a good sized margin.
After the House passage, Sen. Cantwell took to the Senate ground to thank the ladies who led the fee in U.S. Soccer that stimulated the momentum of this law so all Team USA sports activities can advantage from identical pay and advantages, saying: “I additionally need to thank heroes like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan who introduced that case in opposition to U.S. Soccer. U.S. Women’s Soccer led the fee after prevailing the World Cup and making it clean to every person that ladies athletes deserve identical pay.”
In September, Sen. Cantwell and Capito joined leaders of U.S. Soccer, USWNT, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) and Seattle OL Reign participant Megan Rapinoe for the signing of anciental Collective Bargaining Agreements making sure gamers are paid equally.
Speaking for the duration of the ceremony, Sen. Cantwell stated: “My colleague is right here tonight. I’m a Democrat from Washington state. She’s a Republican from West Virginia. But we’re going to use the energy of this second to get country wide law handed in order that each younger woman in each recreation is aware of that we can have identical pay in terms of sports activities withinside the United States of America. Let’s celebrate!”
Before, women and men will be compensated in a different way for representing Team USA withinside the equal recreation. For years there had been stories – from the ladies’s country wide groups in lots of sports activities being paid always less, to ladies’s groups flying in train to video games whilst men’s groups sat in commercial enterprise class, and ready months for clinical reimbursements.
The bipartisan Equal Pay for Team USA Law calls for that every one athletes representing the USA in international athletic competitions get hold of identical reimbursement and advantages of their recreation, irrespective of gender. It additionally calls for identical price for clinical care, tour and charges.
The invoice applies to 50 one of a kind sports activities’ country wide governing our bodies, like US Soccer and USA Volleyball, along side the USA Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). It additionally calls for USOPC to behavior oversight and file on compliance with the law.
