The Wendy Davis campaign took aim at Red State Women, a group recently formed to provide a strong, cohesive voice for Texas women after a spokesperson said that although they oppose Davis’ Texas Equal Pay Act, “we believe Texas women want and deserve equal pay,” according to coverage from the Dallas Morning News (DMN).
The Davis camp took a shot at the group and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott: “Here’s a news flash… women aren’t too ‘busy’ to fight for economic fairness for all hard-working Texans,” said Rebecca Acuna, a campaign spokeswoman for Davis in the DMN.
Last year Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the Texas Equal Pay Act, a bill co-authored by Davis. Had the bill passed, Texas state law would reflect the federal Ledbetter law, under which a woman has 180 days after being discriminated against to file a complaint. According to the federal law, which was named after a woman who fought against unequal pay, discrimination occurs each time an “unfair” paycheck is administered, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Under current Texas law, however, an employee has 180 days after receiving her first discriminatory paycheck to file a complaint.
Gov. Perry was quoted arguing he ultimately vetoed Davis’ bill because it makes Texas businesses more vulnerable to lawsuits in the San Antonio paper. He said, “Texas’ commitment to smart regulations and fair courts is a large part of why we continue to lead the nation in job creation.” Under the Act, companies are more likely to face lawsuits because the time period for which employees may file a complaint is significantly extended in many cases.
Although Davis continues to use the vetoed bill to portray herself as a defender of women, Cristman argued that court battles are not necessarily the key to providing women with equal pay. Rather, she said, women want access to jobs and education. “The bottom line is we support and demand equal pay for women,” Cristman told Breitbart Texas.
Cristman argued that while Republicans and Democrats both support equal pay for women, the two parties differ is the “strategy and the policy.” Davis’ bill “is not the answer,” Cristman said Monday on Time Warner Cable’s “Capital Tonight.”
She continued, “We believe the Ledbetter Act extends your right to sue. And we believe that lawsuits are timely and they also are expensive. We don’t believe that’s a real-world solution for Texas women.”
Davis’ filibuster against the 20 week abortion ban, along with her constant push to appeal to Texas women, is what ultimately inspired Christman to form Red State Women. The group plans to spread their message through social media. Their goal is to have Texas women feel comfortable in the Republican Party in a personal way.
“When Davis gave the controversial filibuster on abortion, Republican women said, ‘Senator Davis does not speak for me. I disagree with her,'” Cristman told Breitbart Texas. “We all understand that the Democrats would like to see Texas turn blue. We don’t think that’s realistic.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.