CAUTION: READ FULL TEXT OF SECTION FOR SPECIAL NOTE

// SPECIAL NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SECTION WAS ADDED BY CHAPTER 3 OF THE SPECIAL SESSION OF 2004 AND WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 //

      (a)      There is an Equal Pay Commission.

      (b)      The Commission consists of the following members, appointed by the Governor:

            (1)      two representatives of business in the State who have been nominated by State business organizations and business trade associations;

            (2)      two representatives of labor organizations who have been nominated by labor federations;

            (3)      two representatives of organizations whose objectives include the elimination of pay disparities between men and women and minorities and nonminorities and who have undertaken advocacy, educational, or legislative initiatives in pursuit of that objective; and

            (4)      three representatives of higher education or research institutions who have experience and expertise in the collection and analysis of data concerning pay disparities and whose research has been used in efforts to promote the elimination of those disparities.

      (c)      The Governor shall designate the Chairman of the Commission.

      (d)      The Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation shall provide staff for the Commission.

      (e)      A member of the Commission:

            (1)      may not receive compensation; but

            (2)      is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.

      (f)      The Commission shall study:

            (1)      the extent of wage disparities, both in the public and private sectors, between men and women and between minorities and nonminorities;

            (2)      those factors which cause, or which tend to cause, the disparities, including segregation between women and men and between minorities and nonminorities across and within occupations, payment of lower wages for work in female-dominated occupations, child-rearing responsibilities, the number of women who are heads of households, education, hours worked, and years on the job;

            (3)      the consequences of the disparities on the economy and families affected; and

            (4)      actions that are likely to lead to the elimination and prevention of the disparities.

      (g)      The Commission shall:

            (1)      report its preliminary findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates on or before September 30, 2005; and

            (2)      report its final findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates on or before September 30, 2006.

      (h)      The Commission's preliminary and final reports shall include the results of the Commission's study and suggest potential solutions for the elimination and prevention of disparities in wages between men and women and minorities and nonminorities.