Timeline of Crucial Wage Gap Legislation
Click on a year to find out more about the legislation released that year that helped advance the rights or minorities and attempted to close the wage gap.
NB: EO is the shorthand for Executive Order.
Executive Order 10479
"Establishing The President's Committee On Government Contracts."
Details
Signing Date: August 13, 1953
President in Office: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Background: During President Harry S. Truman's time in office, he signed and enacted Executive Order (EO) 10308, creating the Committee on Government Contract Compliance, to oversee the actions of government contractors accoring to EOs 8802 and 9346. The EO, even though it was partially successful, was revoked and reorginized by President Eisenhower in 1953.
The EO and its Achievements: This EO created the President's Committee on Government Contracts, one of the most notable predecessors of Affirmative Action. The Committie was composed of representatives of major contracting agencies, the Labor and Justice Department, the General Services Administration, and eight presidential appointees. It was charged with ensuring the practice of equal employment practices by companies that were contracted by the United States government. It forced contractors to obtain compliance by their contractors and subcontractors with contracts that contained nondiscrimination provisions. The act was successful in diminishing discrimination in government contractors, but relied on the fair practices of contractors.