Mississippi passes pay equity law

Currently, only one state does not have an equal pay law. That state is Mississippi. Absent a veto from Governor Tate Reeves, however, on July 1, 2022, Mississippi will join all other states when its equal pay law goes into effect. Let’s take a closer look.

HB 770

In March of this year, both the Mississippi House and Senate passed House Bill (HB) 770, which prohibits employers from paying employees of different sexes different wages if they are performing “equal work on a job, the performance of which requires equal skill, education, effort and responsibility, and which is performed under similar working conditions.” The law also prohibits retaliation against an employee for taking action to enforce rights under HB 770 or assisting in enforcement of it.

Similar to the federal Equal Pay Act (EPA), however, HB 770 allows differences in pay if they are based on: