Equal Pay Day; FEC Vacancies Mean Lax Electoral Enforcement

Equal Pay Day 2013: Women Still Making Fraction What Men Make

Today is Equal Pay Day, the day in which advocates say women must work until to make the same amount as men made last year. Nearly 50 years after the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, full-time year-round female employees make only as much as 80 percent of what their male counterparts make. Those analyzing this look at various factors such as occupational preferences and differences in the degree that men and women differ in family activities, but many studies still point to discrimination as being at least one factor. We talk to Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment at the National Women's Law Center in Washington, DC.

FEC Vacancies Mean Lack of Electoral Law Enforcement

Beset by a long-term vacancy and ridden with deadlock, the Federal Elections Commission has become seen as mostly dysfunctional, unable to carry out its task of enforcing rules regarding elections and electoral finance. A recent column in Roll Call referred to the FEC as a lame-duck, a reference to the fact that the terms for every remaining member are about to expire, and it goes on to point out a growing backlog of work and even the ability to even determine when violations occur. We speak to the author of that column, Eliza Newlin Carney who is also a staff writer for CQ Roll Call covering lobbying and influence.