[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 35 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H947-H948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WOMEN IN CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, 11 years ago, the 101st Congress marked the 
bicentenary of this institution by compiling and printing a volume 
entitled Women in Congress, 1917 to 1990, a compendium of photographs 
and brief biographies of the 129 women who had served in the House and 
Senate as of that time.
  The senior congresswoman in the House then, Congresswoman Lindy Boggs 
of Louisiana, who was later appointed as the United States of America's 
first woman ambassador to the Vatican, took responsibility for the 
printing of that document.

                              {time}  1215

  Since then, another 79 women have served. Thus, a new addition of 
``Women in Congress'' would gather in one updated volume useful 
information for teachers, students and others about the 208 women who 
have served to date through all of America's history, including the 61 
who now serve here in the House and the 13 serving in the other body. 
Currently we have 74 women serving in both the House and Senate, and 
461 men.
  Mr. Speaker, as we enter the 21st century, the time has come to 
update and reprint ``Women in Congress.'' With it America marks the 
progress and substantial contribution that women are making in this 
most democratic legislative body on Earth.
  I am confident that a revised volume will quickly become, like the 
previous edition, a tremendous historical resource and serve to inspire 
readers across America to seek careers in public service. I hope my 
colleagues in the House support this resolution. It is important 
especially that we do this and introduce this resolution during Women's 
History Month; and thus the concurrent resolution that I have 
introduced would provide for the reprinting of that revised edition of 
the House document.
  It is a particular privilege to announce this resolution in that it 
is cosponsored by every single woman serving in the House, as well as 
every single Member of the Committee on House Administration. I thank 
each and every one of them for their support and especially the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who has been a force inside this 
institution for an equal voice for women.
  During the first 128 years of America's history, no woman served in 
either House of the Congress. That is nearly a century and a quarter. 
Finally, in the early years of the 20th century, decades of struggle 
for women's political and social equality began to bear fruit. In 1917, 
Jeanette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in this 
House of Representatives; and then 5 years later, Rebecca Felton of 
Georgia became the first women Senator. So our history, the written 
word and the spoken word, of women in political environments is still 
very, very fresh.
  Since Representative Rankin and Senator Felton broke the 
congressional

[[Page H948]]

gender barrier, dozens of women have followed in their footsteps.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to sponsor the resolution that 
I have dropped today to reprint and update the edition of ``Women in 
Congress, 1917-1990,'' to make it current for this new 21st century 
when all opportunities are available to young women across our country; 
and, indeed, America is an ideal for so much of the world to follow.

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