Politics on the Hudson

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will introduce legislation to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that set a limitation on women to file wage discrimination lawsuits.

The Senate could vote on the bill—Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act—as early as next week, giving Clinton one final legislative achievement before she is confirmed as secretary of State.

Clinton’s confirmation hearing is Tuesday, but a vote by the full Senate cannot occur until after the noontime Jan. 20 swearing in of President-elect Barack Obama.

House Democrats announced in a conference call with reporters this morning they plan to pass the bill this week as their first piece of legislation in 2009.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said Clinton could introduce the Senate version of the bill as early as today.

Rep. George Miller, the California Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, said “it’s quite conceivable’’ the bill could become the first piece of legislation signed into law by Obama.

Democrats justified not holding hearings on the bill before bringing it to the floor because the same bill was passed by the House in the last Congress.