ND HB1400

State agencies and institutions may not enter purchase contracts exceeding $500,000 with businesses having 40 or more full-time employees unless the business obtains an equal pay certificate.

Businesses apply for equal pay certificates through the Department of Labor and Human Rights with a $150 filing fee, and certificates are valid for four years.

Certificates require confirmation that businesses comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and North Dakota Century Code chapter 34-06.1.

Applicants must demonstrate female employees' average compensation is not consistently below male employees' average compensation within each major job category, and that hiring and promotion decisions are made without regard to sex.

Applicants must confirm wage and benefit disparities are corrected when identified, and that compensation is set using market pricing, prevailing wage requirements, performance systems, internal analysis, or alternative documented approaches; health insurance contracts are exempt.