Whereas Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro served the
people of the 9th Congressional district of New York for 6 years;
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 sixteen women members of the
House;
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 America’s two major political parties;
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s candidacy continues the
progress begun by women who achieved political firsts before her and helped to
tear down barriers to the full and equal participation of women in national
politics;
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—
(1)the House of Representatives recognizes
that Geraldine Ferraro’s vice-presidential candidacy forever enriched the
American political landscape and forged a new path for American women;
(2)the House of
Representatives 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;
(3)the Clerk of the
House is directed to communicate these resolutions to the Senate and transmit a
copy thereof to the family of the deceased; and
(4)when the House of
Representatives adjourns today, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect
to the memory of Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro.