IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 634 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 13, 2009 Mr. Crowley (for himself, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Israel, Mr. Engel, Mr. Arcuri, Mr. Massa, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Hall of New York, Mr. McMahon, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Filner, Mr. Murphy of New York, and Mr. Nadler of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration RESOLUTION Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the nomination of Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro as the first woman selected by a major political party as its candidate for Vice President.

Whereas, July 19, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro’s acceptance of the nomination of the Democratic Party for the office of Vice President of the United States; Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro worked her way through law school at Fordham University, at a time when very few women did so; Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro then joined the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, where she supervised the prosecution of a variety of violent crimes, including child and domestic abuse; Whereas in 1978, New York’s Ninth Congressional District in Queens elected Congresswoman Ferraro to the United States House of Representatives, where she was one of only 16 women Members of the House; Whereas her House colleagues rewarded Congresswoman Ferraro’s legislative and political talents by making her part of the elected House leadership, as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus; Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s legislative achievements included her sponsorship of the Women’s Economic Equity Act, landmark legislation to end pension discrimination, and provide increased job training and opportunities for women re-entering the workforce; Whereas in 1984, Congresswoman Ferraro’s status as a leader was confirmed when she was named Chairwoman of the Platform Committee for the Democratic Convention, the first woman to hold that position; Whereas when she was nominated as the running mate of Vice President Walter F. Mondale in the 1984 presidential race, Congresswoman Ferraro became the first woman ever chosen to run on the national ticket of either of the two major political parties; Whereas that nomination also marked the only time an Italian-American has been nominated as a major-party candidate in a national election; Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s Vice Presidential candidacy continued the progress begun by women who achieved political firsts before her, including Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman elected to the Senate in her own right, Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian American/Pacific Islander woman elected to Congress, and Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress; Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s candidacy helped to tear down barriers to the full and equal participation of women in national politics; Whereas in 1984, there were two women Members of the United States Senate, and 22 women Members of the United States House of Representatives; Whereas in the current, 111th Congress, there are 17 women Members of the United States Senate, and 75 women Members of the House, including the first woman ever to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi; Whereas in 2008, our country saw historic barriers fall with a presidential race that featured historic candidacies in both parties, and culminated in the election of the first African-American president in our Nation’s history; Whereas in January 1993, President Clinton appointed Ms. Ferraro a United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, a role from which she championed the rights of women around the world; and Whereas Geraldine Ferraro’s 1984 bid for Vice President helped our daughters join our sons in believing they could achieve anything they set their minds to: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes that Geraldine Ferraro’s vice-presidential candidacy forever enriched the American political landscape and forged a new path for American women, and congratulates her on the 25th anniversary of the acceptance of her nomination; (2)pays tribute to Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro's work to improve the lives of women and families not only in the Ninth Congressional District of New York, who she represented so well, but also the lives of women and families all across the United States; and (3)appreciates Geraldine Ferraro’s life story, a daughter of immigrants who studied hard to become a teacher and later worked her way through law school and served as a prosecuting attorney, a wife and mother who has fought to create a more just world in which her three children and all children could thrive, and a Congresswoman and Vice Presidential candidate who inspired a generation, especially women, to run for and serve in public office.