News and Observer: Hagan Calls Out Dole

Hagan calls out Dole
News & Observer
Under the Dome
Published: Apr 26, 2008 12:30 AM

Kay Hagan has called on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole to return a chunk of her paycheck.

The jab from Hagan, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, came after Dole helped block a vote on a bill in the Senate that would enable employees claiming discrimination to better collect restitution from employers.

Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro, said Dole’s move is insulting to the working class and, in particular, to women.

“Since Elizabeth Dole sees nothing wrong with women earning less than men – on average, 78 percent of what men make in North Carolina – she should return 22 percent of her Senate salary and practice what she preaches,” said Colleen Flanagan, a spokeswoman for Hagan.

The bill was part of a flurry of Democratic-sponsored legislation coming for votes in the Senate in the last few days. Republicans launched a filibuster; Democrats couldn’t rally the votes to put an end to it.

“Senator Dole thinks that the last thing we should do, especially in this current economic environment, is open even more avenues for trial lawyers to bring forward frivolous lawsuits that drive up costs for small businesses and harm jobs,” said Katie Hallaway, a spokeswoman for Dole.

Hallaway said the legislation sought to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that pay discrimination complaints be filed within 180 days of discrimination taking place. She said the bill would have allowed small businesses and other employers to potentially face discrimination suits years or even decades after the alleged discrimination had occurred.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1050588.html

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