[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 72 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6010-S6011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 366--SUPPORTING MAY 2004 AS NATIONAL BETTER HEARING 
  AND SPEECH MONTH AND COMMENDING THOSE STATES THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED 
ROUTINE HEARING SCREENINGS FOR EVERY NEWBORN BEFORE THE NEWBORN LEAVES 
                              THE HOSPITAL

  Mr. COLEMAN submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 366

       Whereas the National Institute on Deafness and Other 
     Communication Disorders reports that approximately 28,000,000 
     people in the United States experience hearing loss or have a 
     hearing impairment;
       Whereas 1 out of every 3 people in the United States over 
     the age of 65 have hearing loss;
       Whereas the overwhelming majority of people in the United 
     States with hearing loss would benefit from the use of a 
     hearing aid and fewer than 7,000,000 people in the United 
     States use a hearing aid;
       Whereas 30 percent of people in the United States suffering 
     from hearing loss cite financial constraints as an impediment 
     to hearing aid use;
       Whereas hearing loss is among the most common congenital 
     birth defects;
       Whereas a delay in diagnosing the hearing loss of a newborn 
     can affect the social, emotional, and academic development of 
     the child;
       Whereas the average age at which newborns with hearing loss 
     are diagnosed is between the ages of 12 to 25 months; and
       Whereas May 2004 is National Better Hearing and Speech 
     Month, providing Federal, State, and local governments, 
     members of the private and nonprofit sectors, hearing and 
     speech professionals, and all people in the United States an 
     opportunity to focus on preventing, mitigating, and treating 
     hearing impairments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of May 2004 as National 
     Better Hearing and Speech Month;
       (2) commends those States that have implemented routine 
     hearing screenings for every newborn before the newborn 
     leaves the hospital; and
       (3) encourages all people in the United States to have 
     their hearing checked regularly.
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    SENATE RESOLUTION 367--HONORING THE LIFE OF MILDRED MCWILLIAMS 
 ``MILLIE'' JEFFREY (1910-2004) AND HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO HER COMMUNITY 
                        AND TO THE UNITED STATES

  Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. Levin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 367

       Whereas Mildred McWilliams ``Millie'' Jeffrey, a social 
     justice activist, a retired UAW Director of the Consumer 
     Affairs Department, and a Governor Emerita of Wayne State 
     University, died peacefully surrounded by her family on March 
     24, 2004, in the Metro Detroit, Michigan area at the age of 
     93;
        Whereas in 2000, President Clinton awarded Millie the 
     Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the 
     United States Government;
       Whereas in seeking world peace by ensuring equality for 
     all, Millie spent a lifetime working on labor, civil rights, 
     education, health care, youth employment, and recreation 
     issues;
       Whereas Millie brought inspiration and humor to the many 
     people she touched and did so with optimism and undaunted 
     spirit;
       Whereas Millie, a woman of influence and of great moral 
     character, was always a voice of conscience and reason;
       Whereas Millie provided a voice for those that could not be 
     heard and hope for those that no longer believed, and because 
     of this her legacy will continue to live on for generations 
     to come;
        Whereas Millie's list of accomplishments and awards is 
     long but what she is most remembered for is her zest for 
     organizing, including mentoring legions of women and men in 
     the labor, civil rights, women's rights, and peace movements;
        Whereas President Clinton stated that ``her impact will be 
     felt for generations, and her example never forgotten'';
        Whereas Millie was born in Alton, Iowa on December 29, 
     1910, and was the oldest of 7 children;
       Whereas in 1932 Millie graduated from the University of 
     Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in psychology and in 1934 
     Millie received a master's degree in social economy and 
     social research from Bryn Mawr College;
        Whereas Millie became an organizer for the Amalgamated 
     Clothing Workers of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
     and later became Educational Director of the Pennsylvania 
     Joint Board of Shirt Workers;
       Whereas in 1936, Millie married fellow Amalgamated Clothing 
     Workers of America organizer Homer Newman Jeffrey, and they 
     traveled throughout the South and East organizing textile 
     workers;
        Whereas during World War II, the Jeffreys worked in 
     Washington, D.C., as consultants to the War Labor Board, 
     where they became close friends with Walter, Victor, and Roy 
     Reuther;
        Whereas the Jeffreys moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1944 
     when Victor Reuther offered Millie a job as director of the 
     newly formed UAW Women's Bureau;
        Whereas Millie's commitment to equal rights fueled her 
     career at the UAW;
        Whereas Millie organized the first UAW women's conference 
     in response to the massive postwar layoffs of women 
     production workers, who were replaced by returning veterans;
        Whereas from 1949 until 1954, Millie ran the UAW's radio 
     station;
        Whereas Millie moved on to direct the Community Relations 
     Department of the UAW;
        Whereas Millie served as Director of the Consumer Affairs 
     Department of the UAW from 1968 until her retirement in 1976;
        Whereas Millie joined the NAACP in the 1940s and marched 
     in the South with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s;
        Whereas Former Executive Secretary of the Detroit Branch 
     of the NAACP, Arthur Johnson, said that ``in the civil rights 
     movement, she knew how to fight without being disagreeable'';
        Whereas Millie ran for public office in 1974 and was 
     elected by the people of Michigan to the Wayne State 
     University Board of Governors, an office she held for 16 
     years (1974-1990);
        Whereas Millie served 3 terms as chair of the Wayne State 
     University Board of Governors;
        Whereas Millie loved Wayne State University and was a 
     long-time resident on campus;
        Whereas Millie never tired of showing visitors around her 
     ``neighborhood''--the Adamany Undergraduate Library, the

[[Page S6011]]

     Hilberry Theatre, and the Walter P. Reuther Library of Wayne 
     State University;
        Whereas Millie thrived in the academic environment 
     enriched by Wayne State University students;
        Whereas whether discussing mathematics with teenagers in 
     Wayne State University's Math Corps or strategizing at the 
     United Nations Conferences on Women about the plight of 
     sweatshop workers, Millie's capacity for connecting with 
     people was unmatched;
        Whereas Millie was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall 
     of Fame and was an original member of the board of the 
     Michigan Women's Foundation;
        Whereas Millie served in various leadership roles in a 
     wide variety of national and State organizations;
       Whereas Millie served on the peer review board of Blue 
     Cross;
        Whereas Millie also was an active member of the First 
     Unitarian Universalist Church in Detroit; and
       Whereas the United States mourns the death of Mildred 
     McWilliams ``Millie'' Jeffrey: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life of Mildred McWilliams ``Millie'' 
     Jeffrey and her contributions to her community and to the 
     United States; and
       (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Millie 
     Jeffrey.

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