# What the Salary Transparency Act Does

This bill requires employers to tell job applicants and employees what they'll be paid—or at least the range of pay for the position. Right now, many employers keep salary information secret, which can leave workers guessing about whether they're being paid fairly. This law would change that by making wage disclosure mandatory at several key points: when a job is posted, when someone applies for a position, when they're hired, and at least once a year after that. If an applicant asks about pay before a job posting has been shared with them, the employer would have to disclose the wage range before even discussing compensation.

The law also protects workers from retaliation. Employers couldn't refuse to hire, promote, or interview someone just because that person asked about wages or exercised their rights under this law. This protection matters because many workers fear speaking up about pay, worried it might hurt their chances of getting or keeping a job.

If an employer violates these rules, they'd face financial penalties. The company would pay a civil penalty starting at $5,000 for the first violation and increasing by $1,000 for each additional violation, up to $10,000. More importantly for individual workers, each affected employee or applicant could sue for damages between $1,000 and $10,000 per person, or actual damages if they're higher, plus attorney fees. This means if a company illegally withholds wage information from multiple applicants, it could face significant liability.

The bill defines "wage range" broadly to include salary, hourly wages, and other compensation the employer reasonably expects to offer for the job. Employers could base this on their pay scale, what similar positions currently pay, or their budget for the role. Essentially, this law aims to level the playing field by giving job seekers and employees the information they need to negotiate fairly and understand whether they're being compensated appropriately.