MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — Those applying for county jobs will no longer have to report salary history or submit past pay stubs as part of the application process, thanks to the Pay Equity Act that went into effect Thursday.

“Every future employee of Montgomery County is going to get paid what they’re worth,” said Councilmember At-Large Evan Glass.

Glass says this move will promote equal pay in Montgomery County.

“By banning the practice of relying on salary history, we will hopefully end the continuation of the wage gap that exists in Montgomery County, the state of Maryland and the United States,” he said.

Councilmember Glass says Maryland women make 79 cents for every dollar a Maryland man makes. More specifically, for African-American women, it’s 69 cents and for Latina women, it’s 47 cents.

“I grew up in a household with a single mom, who worked two jobs and she was never paid a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work– and that’s what we’re trying to correct,” said Glass.

Glass also says the act requires that over the next two years, wages in Montgomery County and D.C. will be evaluated to make way for new legislation to close the pay gap.