§21-5E-1. Legislative findings and purpose.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that it is the public policy of this state to provide all citizens equal opportunity for employment without regard to gender and that gender discrimination in hiring and promotion has played a role in maintaining a segregated workforce in this state.

(b) The Legislature hereby further finds and declares that the existence of wage differentials between equivalent jobs segregated by gender depresses wages and living standards, prevents the maximum utilization of the available labor resources and constitutes an unfair method of competition.

(c) It is therefore the purpose of this article to provide state employees equal pay for work of comparable character, regardless of gender, to create a commission to study both the methodology and funding for the implementation of a gender discrimination prohibition and to establish a procedure to remedy complaints of the failure to provide equal pay for work of comparable character to state employees.