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Massachusetts state treasurer Deborah Goldberg addresses a rally for equal pay at the Statehouse on July 21, 2015.

(SHIRA SCHOENBERG / THE REPUBLICAN)

The Massachusetts House is set to pass a bill to strengthen the state's pay equity laws.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and several other city and town officials have come out in support of the bill. "It's only fair and just -- same work, same pay -- plain and simple," Sarno said in a statement.

The Senate already passed a version of the bill, S.2119, which had support from some of the state's top elected officials, including Attorney General Maura Healey, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Auditor Suzanne Bump, all Democrats. But businesses criticized the Senate bill as being unnecessary and vague.

The House version, which will come up for a vote on Thursday, was redrafted with input from business groups, and now has the backing of several major business groups, as well as from women's rights advocates.

"I see the general issue of equity and diversity in the workplace as very important to our members," said JD Chesloff, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, a group of 80 senior executives from large companies. "It's important for productivity and morale in the workplace, it's important for retaining and recruiting employees, particularly young ones, millennials."

Chesloff said the revised bill "strikes the right balance between what they're trying to accomplish for employees and concerns of employers who have to implement it."

Massachusetts was the first state to pass a law requiring men and women be paid the same amount for comparable work, in 1945. But the definition of comparable work is vague and has been limited by court rulings.

The new bill would update that to define comparable work as "work that requires substantially similar skill, effort and responsibility and is performed under similar working conditions." It clarifies that employers can pay different salaries based on seniority, merit, geography, education or other factors related to the job.

Chris Geehern, a spokesman for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, said businesses worked to get language included that recognizes market differences. For example, he said, a tech company should be able to pay two computer programmers different salaries if one knows a more advanced programming language than the other, even if they have the same job title.

"I think the bill really does make more explicit than the Senate version this idea that while employers are committed to paying people fairly, there are any number of factors that can cause pay disparities in the workplace," Geehern said.

The bill would make it illegal for employers to prevent employees from discussing their salaries. Currently, gag orders on discussing compensation can make it harder for women to find out if they are being paid less than male co-workers.

The bill also prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their salary history during an interview, although an employer can check salary history after an offer is made. A job applicant can volunteer salary information, after which an employer can require confirmation.

The bill also protects employers from equal pay lawsuits for three years if they complete self-evaluations and take steps to move toward pay equity. It makes clear that companies do not have to divulge confidential wage information.

Sasha Goodfriend, co-president of Mass NOW, the state chapter of the National Organization for Women, said she is "thrilled" to see the bill on the verge of passing. She said the definition of comparable work is "long overdue." The salary history provision is important, she said, because if a woman has been paid too little in a previous job, the use of salary history to determine future pay "will make it impossible to fix the problem."

Goldberg has used her office as a bully pulpit to discuss equal pay and created a website aimed at employers. Goldberg said the definition of comparable work and the provision permitting employees to compare salaries are both important to ensuring women get paid equally.

"Every little piece is critical in the fight to assure equity for everyone," Goldberg said.

Goldberg said working toward equal pay will result in economic growth in Massachusetts. "When women are paid what they should be paid, it results in a healthier economy," Goldberg said. "The businesses that employ them are more profitable, they are more innovative, so overall this is a win-win for everyone."

Goldberg said she believes just spurring the conversation around equal pay will make a difference in Massachusetts.

If the bill passes the House, it will go to a committee of House-Senate negotiators to hammer out a final version.

Gov. Charlie Baker, who frequently does not comment on legislation before it reaches his desk, declined to take a position on the bill. "The administration will continue to ensure the enforcement of federal and state laws prohibiting gender discrimination in employment and salary and will review legislative proposals to change those measures should they reach the governor's desk," said Baker spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton.