The federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires that men and women in the same workplace receive equal pay for equal work. In April 2022, Mississippi became the last state to enact its own Equal Pay Act. In recent years, many states have taken further efforts to address equal pay, such as enacting laws that prohibit employers from asking job applicants about salary history, requiring disclosure of salary ranges and pay data, protecting employees who disclose their pay, expanding equal pay protections for characteristics other than sex, and broadening comparisons of work and pay. Stronger federal legislation — the Paycheck Fairness Act — was first introduced in 1997 but has failed to pass after numerous attempts —most recently in June 2021. On March 15, 2022, the Biden administration also announced commitments to advance pay equity.
This roundup primarily focuses on recent state legislative initiatives pertaining to salary history bans and salary range disclosure requirements that affect private sector employers, and provides links to state resources from organizations, government websites, third-party resources and news articles. Certain cities have also taken action, but they are generally beyond the scope of this roundup.
Many states have enacted laws that prohibit employers from asking job applicants about salary history.
Several states require or are considering requiring employers to disclose information about salary ranges for open positions or promotions — either voluntarily or upon request.
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