On the same day President Barack Obama pushed for equal pay for women, candidate for Lt. Gov. state Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) insisted new equal pay laws are not needed.
Speaking after a fundraiser luncheon in Fort Worth Tuesday, Patrick told NBC 5 he opposes any new federal or state equal pay protections.
"Women and men should be paid the same wage for doing the same job. But the government should not be enforcing it. We have too much government in our lives. In some cases women are making more than men. In other cases men are making more than women. But if they are doing the same job then there should be equal pay. It's just the government shouldn't be calling the shots," Patrick said.
This week the U.S. Senate will vote on a provision making it easier for women to sue their employers over pay.
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis frequently criticizes her Republican opponent Greg Abbott for supporting Gov. Rick Perry's 2013 veto of a bill to give women more time to sue for equal pay.
Patrick faces incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a Republican run-off next month.
