[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8840-H8841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATION OF 20 YEARS OF THE WOMEN'S CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Maloney] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, tonight we will honor the 
20th anniversary of the Women's Caucus. President Clinton will join us 
as we celebrate the past, present, and future of the Women's Caucus.
  Women have always faced extra hurdles as they served in Congress. 
Recognizing these extra challenges, Elizabeth Holtzman, from my home 
State of New York, along with Peggy Heckler of Massachusetts, organized 
13 Members to join them in forming the Women's Caucus in 1977.
  We have certainly expanded our numbers. The caucus is 53 members 
strong this year, but we still face many obstacles.
  I would like to submit this copy of achievements of the Women's 
Caucus during its 20 years for the Record, and just note some of the 
achievements for the Record.
  In 1978, the caucus was instrumental in the passage of the Pregnancy 
Discrimination Act, guaranteeing employment rights to pregnant workers.
  In 1979, Congress, at the pushing by the Women's Caucus, created the 
Office of Civil Rights at the Education Department to enforce the title 
IX ban against sex discrimination in education.
  In 1984, the caucus' Economic Equity Act was the driving force behind 
enactment of important legislation in retirement equity and child 
support enforcement legislation.
  That year, also, a caucus member, Geraldine Ferraro, from my home 
State of New York, was nominated for Vice President of the United 
States, the first time a woman ran for that office on a major party 
ticket.
  In 1985, for the first time, legislation was introduced to provide 
temporary leave for parents of newborns and seriously ill children and 
for workers with serious health problems. This effort sparked an 8-year 
campaign that ended with the 1993 enactment of the Family and Medical 
Leave Act. That was the first bill that I voted for in Congress.
  In 1992, the media called this year the ``Year of the Woman'' in 
politics as hundreds of women lined up to run for office. It was a year 
in which many people voted for women candidates, not as a slogan but as 
a force to be reckoned with. A record 48 women were elected to the 
House and 6 to the Senate. And our presence here truly did make a 
difference.
  We passed many important bills: The Family and Medical Leave Act; we 
expanded the earned income tax credit; we passed the domestic violence 
bill; the Violence Against Women Act; we expanded coverage and funding 
for breast cancer and breast cancer research; and this year, in 1997, 
Congress passed landmark legislation to balance the Federal budget, and 
they included in it very important expansions for women's health 
provisions.
  One bill that I am particularly proud of is one that I worked on 
since 1992 with my Republican colleague, Barbara Vucanovich, which 
expanded the coverage of mammograms in Medicare for women over 65 and 
bone mass measurement. And I note the very good work of my Republican 
colleague, the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Connie Morella], in this 
area.

[[Page H8841]]

  We also enacted a child tax credit, assistance for families with 
children in college, and expanded health coverage for uninsured 
children.
  I would like to take this time to thank the Congresswomen who have 
chaired the Women's Caucus. This year the gentlewoman from Connecticut, 
Mrs. Nancy Johnson, and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, 
Ms. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
  This year, on Mother's Day, again with my colleague, the gentlewoman 
from Maryland, Mrs. Connie Morella, it was a symbolic victory, but 
after many hurdles we finally moved the only statue of women that are 
in the rotunda, from the basement into the rotunda. On that particular 
day Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two of 
whom were women from New York State and who worked very hard on women's 
issues and for the right for women to gain the vote, they finally took 
their place in the Capitol rotunda, along with our other great 
revolutionary leaders.
  I would like to put the rest of my remarks into the Record and also 
note other great women leaders from New York State, Bella Abzug, 
Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro and Elizabeth Holtzman, all of whom 
were members of the Women's Caucus.

                        Program Book Highlights

       1977--Reps. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY) and Margaret Heckler 
     (R-MA) founded the Congresswomen's Caucus. Comprised of 15 of 
     the 18 women in the House, the group focused its early 
     efforts on eliminating sex discrimination and improving 
     women's employment opportunities in the federal government.
       1978--The Caucus led a successful effort to gain an 
     extension of the ratification period for the Equal Rights 
     Amendment. Also that year, Congress passed landmark 
     legislation--the Pregnancy Discrimination Act--guaranteeing 
     employment rights to pregnant workers.
       1979--Double digit inflation spurred the Caucus to focus on 
     economic equity for women, ranging from women's business 
     opportunities to the susceptibility of women workers to 
     unemployment. Congress created the Office of Civil Rights at 
     the Education Department to enforce the Title IX ban against 
     sex discrimination in education. Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-
     CO) took over as Democratic Co-Chair of the Caucus.
       1980--The Caucus called for a Congressional investigation 
     of the extent to which women-owned businesses were gaining 
     access to federal contracts. Congress voted to require 
     federal agencies to report the dollar value of all federal 
     contracts awarded to small, minority-owned and female-owned 
     businesses.
       1981--The Caucus introduced the Economic Equity Act--a 
     package of legislation to address key economic security 
     issues. Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first woman 
     Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The 
     Congresswomen's Caucus opened its membership to men and 
     changed its name to the Congressional Caucus for Women's 
     Issues.
       1982--At the urging of the Caucus, the Joint Economic 
     Committee convened hearings on the economic status of women 
     and its impact on family income. Congress extended flex-time 
     arrangements for federal workers and made former military 
     spouses eligible for health benefits.
       1983--Virtually every piece of the Caucus' Economic Equity 
     Act was the subject to Congressional hearings, including tax 
     and retirement matters, dependent care, nondiscrimination in 
     insurance, and child support enforcement. In a major jobs 
     bill, Congress enacted provisions important to working women. 
     Rep. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) becomes Republican Co-Chair of the 
     Caucus.
       1984--The Caucus Economic Equity Act was the driving force 
     behind enactment of important retirement equity and child 
     support enforcement legislation. Caucus member Geraldine 
     Ferraro (D-NY) was nominated for Vice-President of the United 
     States, the first time a woman ran for that office on a major 
     party ticket.
       1985--For the first time, legislation was introduced to 
     provide temporary leave for parents of newborns and seriously 
     ill children, and for workers with serious health problems. 
     This effort sparked an eight year campaign that ended with 
     the 1993 enactment of the Family and Medical Leave Act 
     (FMLA).
       1986--Congress passed major legislation to increase 
     accessibility of a college education to non-traditional 
     students--mostly women--and to allow states to expand 
     Medicaid coverage to pregnant women and infants. Sen. Barbara 
     Mikulski (D-MD) was the first Democratic woman elected to the 
     Senate without first having been elected or appointed to fill 
     a vacant seat.
       1987--The Caucus celebrated its 10th anniversary as the 
     nation marked the 100th Congress and the 200th anniversary of 
     the Constitution. Two important Supreme Court decisions 
     upheld the constitutional use of affirmative action plans for 
     women and ruled that states could force all-male clubs to 
     admit female members.
       1988--An important Caucus priority was achieved when 
     Congress restored broad coverage of Title IX and other civil 
     rights laws. The Caucus won passage of legislation to address 
     the impoverishment faced by many elderly women when their 
     spouses entered nursing homes. Congress also passed the 
     Women's Business Ownership Act aimed at ending discrimination 
     in credit to women entrepreneurs.
       1989--The Caucus continued to push Congress to approve the 
     Family and Medical Leave Act as well as new legislation to 
     increase the availability, quality, and affordability of 
     child care. Congress increased funding for maternal and child 
     health programs and required states to expand Medicaid 
     programs to cover pregnant women and children under six, Rep. 
     Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) was the first Latina elected to 
     Congress.
       1990--Congress approved the first major child care 
     legislation in 20 years. A General Accounting Office (GAO) 
     report requested by the Caucus confirmed the widespread 
     exclusion of women from federally funded medical research. 
     Caucus members introduced the first Women's Health Equity Act 
     and traveled to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 
     discuss plans for creating an NIH Office of Research on 
     Women's Health.
       1991--Congress approved civil rights legislation that 
     expanded remedies for victims of sex discrimination, 
     established a Glass Ceiling Commission to examine barriers to 
     the advancement of women in management positions, and removed 
     the statutory prohibition against women flying combat 
     missions. Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO) became the first 
     woman in nearly 20 years to chair a full committee in the 
     House.
       1992--Caucus initiatives to improve quality of mammograms 
     and combat infertility in women were enacted. The media 
     labeled 1992 the ``Year of the Woman'' in politics as 
     hundreds of women lined up to run for office. A record 48 
     women were elected to the House and 6 to the Senate.
       1993--After an eight year battle, the Family and Medical 
     Leave Act was signed into law. Major women's health 
     legislation drafted by the Caucus also became law. Congress 
     removed the remaining statutory limits on women serving in 
     the military. The Earned Income Tax Credit was expanded to 
     help raise poor working families above the poverty level.
       1994--With strong bipartisan support from the Caucus, 
     Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act, which 
     authorized $1.6 billion over six years for services to 
     victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Congress 
     also passed legislation to ensure more equitable treatment 
     for women and girls in education and required federal 
     agencies to establish a five percent goal for contracting 
     with women-owned businesses.
       1995--Congress approved legislation applying civil rights 
     and employment statutes to itself, long a priority of the 
     Caucus. Congress also defunded the legislative offices of 
     House caucuses, including the Congressional Caucus for 
     Women's Issues. Reps. Constance Morella (R-MD) and Nita Lowey 
     (D-NY) were named to co-chair the reorganized Congressional 
     Caucus for Women's Issues. Three women were named to chair 
     committees in the House and Senate.
       1996--Legislation was enacted to guarantee continued health 
     insurance coverage for workers who change or lose their jobs. 
     Included were Women's Health Equity Act provisions barring 
     insurers from discriminating on the basis of genetic 
     information or evidence of domestic violence. Congress also 
     require insurers to expand hospital stays for new mothers and 
     approved a Caucus initiative to strengthen child support 
     enforcement.
       1997--Congress passed landmark legislation to balance the 
     federal budget and included in it important women's health 
     provisions which expand Medicare coverage of mammography and 
     bone mass measurement. Also enacted were a child tax credit, 
     assistance for families with children in college, and 
     expanded health coverage for uninsured children. 
     Congresswomen Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Eleanor Holmes Norton 
     (D-DC) take over as Co-Chairs of the Caucus.

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