[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 42 (Thursday, April 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3065-S3066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration 
of S.J. Res. 11 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 11) commemorating 
     ``Juneteenth Independence Day,'' the day on which slavery 
     finally came to an end in the United States.

  The Senate proceeded to consider the joint resolution.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today we recognize the date upon which 
slavery finally came to an end in the United States, June 19, 1865, 
also known as ``Juneteenth Independence Day.'' It was only on this day 
that slaves in the Southwest finally learned of the end of slavery. 
Since that time, for over 130 years, the descendants of slaves have 
celebrated this day in honor of the many unfortunate people who lived 
and suffered under slavery. Their suffering can never be repaired, but 
their memory can serve to ensure that no such inhumanity is ever 
perpetrated again on American soil. We commemorate Juneteenth 
Independence Day to honor the struggles of these slaves and former 
slaves, to acknowledge their suffering and so that we may never forget 
even the worst aspects of our Nation's history.
  But this day and this resolution in honor of the end of slavery 
should also make us feel proud, proud that we as a Nation have come so 
far toward advancing the goals of freedom and justice for all of our 
citizens. While we must continue ever forward in the search for 
justice, we should be thankful that the tireless efforts of vigilant 
Americans have enabled us to achieve a society built on Democratic 
principles and the recognition that all men and women are created 
equal.
  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, today, April 11, is national pay 
inequity awareness day. Today we recognize that women are still earning 
less than 75 cents for every dollar that a man earns and that this pay 
differential has a long-lasting negative impact on women and on the 
Nation.
  Women earn less than men. In 1981, a woman earned just 60 cents for 
every dollar a man earned. We have made progress and today women are 
earning about 71 cents on the dollar. In Illinois that number is just 
66 cents for every dollar, but even this is progress. Nonetheless the 
remaining inequity is unacceptable.
  Besides the basic equity issue, the fact that women earn less than 
men is unacceptable for three reasons: women comprise over half the 
population, women contribute to family income in over half of all 
American families, and women live longer than men.
  Women make up over half the population and that means that pay 
inequities affect the majority of the American people. Employers 
continue routinely to pay lower wages on jobs that women dominate and 
in many cases women receive less pay for performing the same work as 
men. Women in the American work force are not only met

[[Page S3066]]

with the challenge of breaking through a glass ceiling, but also a 
glass wall.
  Women are breadwinners in over half of all American families. The 
fact that over a lifetime, this difference in pay can equal over a 
quarter of a million dollars has a direct impact on America's 
families--families struggling to send their children to school, to pay 
their mortgages, to save for retirement. Women who receive 71 cents on 
the dollar in wages are not able to pay 71 cents on the dollar for 
groceries or child care. Equal pay is a survival issue for America's 
families.

  Women live longer than men. Women are going to spend more years in 
retirement and will have to make their fixed incomes stretch even 
further. The impact of lower lifetime earnings mean that only a third 
of female retirees today earn private pension benefits and the median 
pension benefit for women is half that of men's. In addition, while 
Social Security covers most female retirees, women's benefits are lower 
than men's. Even with full benefits, Social Security was never meant to 
provide for a secure retirement, it is only a floor. Today, women make 
up three-quarters of the elderly poor because they continue to earn 
less in retirement.
  Women make up the majority of the population, are breadwinners in the 
majority of families and live longer than men. These facts combined 
with the reality of women's lower earnings result in a system of 
inequity that hurts America's families.
  It is for these reasons that I joined my colleagues in sponsoring a 
sense-of-the-Senate amendment recognizing the important contributions 
women make to our country, recognizing the strides that employers have 
made in the area, and calling on all employers to address the issue of 
equal pay in their workplaces so that America's families can prosper. 
This is a resolution I believe we can all support.
  I am also the cosponsor of legislation in this Congress that will 
make it easier for women to challenge unfair pay practices and for the 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pursue cases of unequal 
compensation. This legislation is a basic remedy for a problem we all 
agree should not exist. I urge my colleagues to join me in sponsoring 
S. 71.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be 
considered read a third time and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements 
relating to the bill appear at this point in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 11) was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 11

       Whereas news of the end of slavery came late to frontier 
     areas of the country, especially in the American Southwest;
       Whereas the African-Americans who had been slaves in the 
     Southwest thereafter celebrated June 19 as the anniversary of 
     their emancipation;
       Whereas their descendants handed down that tradition from 
     generation to generation as an inspiration and encouragement 
     for future generations;
       Whereas Juneteenth celebrations have thus been held for 130 
     years to honor the memory of all those who endured slavery 
     and especially those who moved from slavery to freedom; and
       Whereas their example of faith and strength of character 
     remains a lesson for all Americans today, regardless of 
     background or region or race: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     annual observance of June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day 
     is an important and enriching part of our country's history 
     and heritage.
       That the celebration of Juneteenth provides an opportunity 
     for all Americans to learn more about our common past and to 
     better understand the experiences that have shaped our 
     Nation.
       That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the 
     National Association of Juneteenth Lineage as an expression 
     of appreciation for its role in promoting the observance of 
     Juneteenth Independence Day.

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