Susan Collins under fire for votes against pay equity and sick leave bills

Susan Collins’ Senate Votes Under Scrutiny Amidst Election Campaign

Maine Senator Susan Collins has recently faced criticism for her positions on key legislative issues affecting women. Serving on the Senate HELP Committee since 2015, Collins’ votes on matters related to health, education, labor, and pensions have drawn significant attention.

With women voters expected to be influential in the upcoming midterm elections, Collins, who is campaigning for a sixth term, is seen as the most at-risk Republican senator. Her opponent, State Senator Troy Jackson, may benefit from the controversy surrounding her recent votes.

In June 2023, the HELP Committee, including Collins, voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation aimed to ensure that wage differences between genders were based solely on education, training, experience, or merit. Collins supported amendments that would have weakened the bill, including one that exempted employers who had conducted recent pay-equity audits from liability and another that removed the merit-based wage requirement. These amendments met bipartisan opposition, and the act did not proceed to a full Senate vote.

A month prior, Collins opposed the Healthy Families Act, which sought to provide most American workers with paid sick leave. She also endorsed an amendment exempting seasonal workers from this benefit. Notably, women constitute a significant portion of seasonal workers in industries such as retail and hospitality, as highlighted by a Zippia report. Additionally, a Health Affairs analysis from 2022 indicated that women are less likely than men to have access to paid sick leave. Like the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Healthy Families Act also failed to advance in the Senate.

In September 2023, another critical decision arose when the HELP Committee evaluated a bipartisan proposal to allocate $26 billion for expanding primary care access and addressing healthcare worker shortages. This funding would support training for new healthcare professionals, including those in rural areas. Collins and other Republicans pushed for an amendment to block abortion training funding, which was unsuccessful. Consequently, Collins voted against the bill’s progression.

Recent polling from Fox News shows a tight race, with Jackson leading Collins by a narrow two-point margin.