Final answer:
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is the legislation that allows for a rolling time frame in wage discrimination claims and expands the plaintiff field. It resets the statute of limitations with every discriminatory paycheck and covers various types of wage discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The U.S. act that creates a rolling time frame for filing wage discrimination claims and expands the plaintiff field beyond an employee who was discriminated against is the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed into law in 2009, was a response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The Act resets the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit to 180 days after each paycheck that reflects discriminatory pay, rather than from the date of the original discriminatory salary decision. Therefore, it allows for a more extended period wherein a victim can file a claim for wage discrimination. This legislation covers wage discrimination based on gender, as well as race, religion, disability, or age.
Moreover, it expands the filing entitlements beyond the direct victim, allowing claims from affected parties like policymakers, as seen in situations where systemic discrimination affects a larger group within an organization. This is significant for those who may not learn about the discrimination until much later. The Act also illustrates the checks and balances within the U.S. government, as it was enacted to overturn a Supreme Court decision which had previously set a much shorter time limit on such claims.