Overheard @: Women's groups respond to Lilly Ledbetter Act signing

Following President Obama's White House ceremony this morning to sign into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, representatives of women's groups are voicing their approval. Among them:

* Debra L. Ness, PresidentNational Partnership for Women & Families: “In making the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act the first bill he signs into law, President Obama today signals an end to the days when we had to revisit and defend women’s and civil rights victories of the past, and can instead focus on creating jobs, promoting fairness, and ending discrimination in our workplaces.

The harmful U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear will now become an ugly footnote in our history books. We now enter a new era in which equal opportunity is real and anti-discrimination laws matter. In this struggling economy, workers need protection from discrimination more than ever. Equal pay for equal work is among one of our country’s most fundamental values. We applaud President Obama for taking this essential step for fair pay in America.”

* Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director, MomsRising.org: "It was with great pride and joy that I attended today’s Presidential signing ceremony of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Now federal law ensures that employees are able to seek redress if they learn that they have been discriminated against in pay because of their gender, race or ethnicity. Many years ago, Lilly Ledbetter bravely stood up to a major corporation and fought for the rights of workers all across this country to fight pay discrimination. And today, by making this the very first bill he signed into law, President Barack Obama showed us that he is acting on the promises he made in his campaign."

What reaction have you heard -- among women and other groups? Comment below.

News You can Use: Obama signs fair pay law

President Barack Obama this morning signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which, according to the Associated Press, clarifies that the 180-day statute of limitations is extended every time an employer violates the law by issuing a paycheck or engages in other practices that discriminate.

Therefore, AP reports, if an employee alleges that she received a salary 20 years ago that was less than that of male co-workers because of discrimination, each new paycheck since that occurrence would be a new unlawful employment practice that resets the statute of limitations. The bill retains current limits on employer liability by restricting back pay awards to two years.

The law carries Ledbetter's name because she's been a staunch fair pay advocate ever since filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when she found out she was earning less than male coworkers. A Supreme Court ruling in 2007 threw out Ledbetter's complaint, saying she was required to bring suit within 180 days of the initial act of discrimination.

Read more about the law and its implications for you here, and comment below to let us know your thoughts about the law's approval.