Women in the state of Michigan earn 74 percent as much as their male counterparts, according to a study by the American Association of University Women. A legislative package recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives looks to improve that statistic.

Introduced in a press conference Tuesday, the bills — H.B. 4516 through 4519 — will require employers to disclose their wages and prevent pay discrimination for equal work.

Attendees who came to celebrate the bill received welcome letter from Republican Governor Rick Snyder.

“If we are to achieve true equality, equal pay for women is a must,” Snyder wrote.

According to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey, the median salary for women in Michigan was $36,931, while men earned $50,053.

State Rep. Gretchen Driskell (D–Saline) said the bill will allow women to better negotiate their wages. She pointed out that Michigan women encounter one of the largest pay gaps in the nation.

“It’s a problem that isn’t being resolved without legislation,” Driskell said.

The state of Michigan’s wage disparity between men and women is the seventh largest in the nation, according to the AAUW.

A similar bill was introduced to the state government in 2008. The House passed the legislation, but it failed to make it through the Senate. She said representatives felt it was important to reintroduce the bill.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which also aims to remedy gender discrimination by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, was introduced to federal Congress Jan. 23. The bill has since been referred to a congressional committee.

Driskell said her bill would equalize pay on a case-by-case basis — not “blanket regulations.” She said she aims to raise awareness for the wage gap.

State Rep. Pat Somerville (R–New Boston) said the bill’s language is vague and there’s no “apples-to-apples” consideration of each sex’s experience, education and other variables when delegating equal pay. For instance, he said it would allow women who take time off to raise a family to receive the same income as a man in the same job with more experience.

Somerville added that statistics are being misconstrued to show a pay gap exists where there might not be one. He said data might reflect that, when work-related variables are kept constant, women have an advantage over men in equal pay.

“I believe the bill is searching for a problem that doesn’t exist.”