NATIONAL BRIEFING / WASHINGTON, D.C.
A wage discrimination bill that would reverse a 2007 Supreme Court decision cleared the Senate and could be on President Obama’s desk within days. The measure would reverse a ruling that narrowly defined the period during which a worker can file a claim of wage discrimination -- even if the worker was unaware for years that he or she was earning less than colleagues doing the same job.
The House, which passed a similar measure two weeks ago, is expected to approve this one quickly and send it to Obama for his signature.
The president strongly backs the measure. He invited Lilly Ledbetter, the retired Alabama tire company worker whose lawsuit inspired the bill, to accompany him on the train trip bringing him to Washington for the inauguration.
Former President Bush had threatened to veto the bill when it came up in the past, and last year it died in the Senate.
The Senate vote was 61 to 36. Republicans had demanded that the bill reach a 60-vote threshold for passage as a condition for acting on the legislation.
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