California Governor Signs Equal Pay Legislation for Women

California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Fair Pay Act into law Tuesday, creating what is considered to be the strongest equal pay legislation in the country. 

CNN reports that in California, women make 84-cents for every 1-dollar a man makes. Nationally this statistic changes to about 78-cents for every dollar. The new law is set to close this gap. As of today, employers in California are required to pay women and men equally for similar work even if they work out of a different office or have a different title, as long as the work is "substantially similar." Pay can still differ when it comes to merit, extensive training, or experience. 

The bill also gives employees the right to ask how much coworkers make and prohibits employer retaliation for discussing salaries. However, employers or employees are not required to reveal salary information. 

Governor Brown signed this act Tuesday at the Rosie the Riveter National Park in Richmond, California. He told spectators, "This is a bill and this is an occasion where we have come together, both parties, men and women, to achieve a very clear goal. And that is reaching towards greater equity. We're all in it together."

With the new law in place, both the Division of Labor Standards and the employee are able to sue in civil court if an employer refuses to address a wage inequality, but proponents say the law isn't intended to encourage law suits. Rather, they hope that it will get companies to re-evaluate their salary practices. 

Opponents say that the bill doesn't go far enough to address wage discrimination for race, disabilities, or sexual orientation. 

Julie Watts of CBS News & CNN contributed to this report:Â