Apr 05, 2017 08:55 AM EDT By Anne Collins, UniversityHerald Reporter

New York City public advocate Letitia James has proposed legislation last August to prohibit public and private businesses from asking prospective employees about their salary history. Employers will soon be prohibited to ask applicants about salary histories.

The New York City Councils is expected to pass the bill on Wednesday, which is a day after Equal Pay Day, James said. If approved, New York City will become one of the states including Massachusetts to forbid prospective employers from asking job applications this question during a job interview.

The New York Post reported that the proposal will reduce salary gap between men and women. It has the support of 33 out of 51 Council members.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was encouraged by James to sign the executive order barring city agencies from asking about salary history. Once it passed the legislation will extend the ban to businesses in the private sector, Time reported.

James wanted to close the gender wage gap and points out the significance of the Fearless Girl statue. She hopes it will become a permanent fixture.

The bill aims to address severe wage disparities because women still do not earn the same amount as men. Last year, James' office released a report which found that women in New York were cheated out of $5.8 billion a year in lost wages.

It focuses on ways to address wage discrimination by putting some policies in place, which include asking whether or not companies don't have women on their boards or executive committees.

After getting the Fearless Girl statue to remain on Wall Street for a year, James said it is critical that the legislation is approved on Wednesday.  She said the issue of dissemination of poverty and wage discrimination was larger than just women's issue and that it also affects the economy, children and economies.

They are also working on examining ways to combat racial disparities and gender disparities in the city by promoting more business of color.

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