President Clinton, in his final State of the Union address, urged passage by Congress of several women’s measures.
Clinton called upon Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is a very modest step toward equal pay for equal work. Clinton also urged increasing the minimum wage by one dollar. Women are sixty-percent of minimum wage workers.
In the area of childcare, Clinton asked Congress for $1 billion increase in the Head Start program for early childhood education. He also asked for an increase in childcare expenditures to include another 400,000 children.
Clinton spoke to the issue of violence, specifically urging Congress to pass reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The President also touted Hate Crimes legislation, which includes gender, race and sexual orientation, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act for lesbians and gay men.
