The Illinois General Assembly has revived an effort to bridge the so-called “gender wage gap.”
The plan would ban employers from asking about salary history during interviews.
Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a similar measure last year. The latest version still keeps prior salary out of the interview process, but tries to address concerns from business owners who are worried about their bottom line.
Wendy Pollack is with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. She says no law is perfect and hopes Rauner acknowledges it’s a good starting point.
“On other bills that I’ve worked on in the past, we’ve come back after a few years to see how it’s working out: what works for workers, what works for business…and have amended them along the way. So we’re not closing the door on that.”
Pollack says asking about prior wage history perpetuates the low salaries women often have early in their careers. Both the Senate and House approved the measure.
