[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD, COMMISSION FOR WOMEN: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 1997

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the Montgomery 
County, MD, Commission for Women as it celebrates 25 years of service 
to the women of the county. To mark the occasion, the commission will 
hold a gala dinner, and the proceeds from the event will be used to 
support a scholarship fund and services for displaced homemakers and 
disadvantaged women.
  In 1972, I had the great privilege and honor to serve on the first 
Commission and later to be elected as its second president. I have 
watched with pride as it has grown into an important voice and resource 
for women throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The commission 
advises the county executive, the county council, county agencies, and 
the general public on issues of concern to county women and their 
families. But, most importantly, the commission is there on a daily 
basis to serve the immediate and long-term needs of women in Montgomery 
County.
  The Commission for Women provides such direct services as personal 
and career counseling, career-readiness classes, programs for displaced 
homemakers, workshops on changing careers, family crisis and transition 
services for events like separation and divorce and job loss, and 
workshops on women's health, sexual harassment, dependent care, and 
time management skills.
  This year, as part of its anniversary observance, the commission 
released a study on the status of women in Montgomery County, an 
invaluable tool for both the general public and elected officials. 
Comprising 52 percent of the population, the women of Montgomery County 
play a critically important role in the county's social and economic 
health. The study calls for a ``paradigm shift in the development of 
laws, policies, practices and procedures affecting education, 
employment, health, law enforcement and crime prevention'' and 
underscores an ``urgent need to reevaluate outdated policies of schools 
and of most employers * * * based on the assumption of a single wage 
earner and an at-home parent.''
  Montgomery County, MD, has grown and changed in the last 25 years 
from a quiet bedroom suburb of Washington, DC, into a thriving 
cosmopolitan community. Over the years, the Montgomery County 
Commission for Women has been an important force in meeting the 
challenge of that change and in helping women and their families adjust 
to and prosper in a dynamic and diverse society.
  Mr. Speaker, please join with me in saluting the Montgomery County 
Commission for Women and its talented and dedicated staff for 25 years 
of extraordinary service to the people of my county.

                          ____________________