By Associated Press
Washington – Congress has sent the White House its first legislation of Barack Obama's presidency, a bill that makes it easier for women and others to sue over pay discrimination, even if the discrimination has prevailed for years, or even decades.
The legislation is named after Lilly Ledbetter of Jacksonville, Ala.
It is a response to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that said a person must file a discrimination claim within 180 days of an employer's decision to pay a worker less based on gender, even if the worker is unaware of the discrimination. Under the bill, every new discriminatory paycheck would extend the statute of limitations for another 180 days.
Obama will sign the bill Thursday during a public ceremony in the East Room.