The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed an equal pay bill to guarantee ‘equal compensation’ for women competing in international sporting events.
The bill will now head to Joe Biden’s desk for a signature.
“I … want to thank heroes like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, who brought that case against U.S. Soccer,” the bill’s co-sponsor Senator Maria Cantwell said.
📣HISTORY! #EqualPayforTeamUSA Act passed Congress✅
Next Stop➡️President’s Desk pic.twitter.com/qO2XZZRUQ7
— Senate Commerce Committee (@commercedems) December 22, 2022
AP reported:
The House has passed a bill that ensures equal compensation for U.S. women competing in international events, a piece of legislation that came out of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s long battle to be paid as much as the men.
The Equal Pay for Team USA Act, passed late Wednesday, will require all athletes representing the United States in global competition to receive equal pay and benefits in their sport, regardless of gender. It covers America’s 50-plus national sports and requires the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to handle oversight.
The bill had earlier passed the Senate with unanimous support. It now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.
A study in 2020 found that the Womens World Cup had less than one-tenth of the interest as the Mens World Cup.
