[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1608-E1609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise in celebration of the 90th 
anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United 
States Constitution, which enshrined into law on August 26, 1920, the 
right of American women to vote. It is with deep admiration and respect 
that I pay tribute today to the brave women in our history, 
particularly Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. 
Anthony, whose courage and determination blazed a trail in the fight 
for women's equality.

[[Page E1609]]

  Since the adoption of the 19th Amendment, women have continued to 
reach significant milestones in that fight for women's equality, 
including having a greater presence in our government. Today, 17 women 
serve in the Senate and 76 in the House, and you, Madam Speaker, are 
making history as the first female Speaker of the House. Also 
noteworthy is the unprecedented participation of women in our judicial 
branch. The Supreme Court was without the service of a single woman for 
nearly 200 years until September 25, 1981, when Sandra Day O'Connor was 
confirmed as the first woman Supreme Court Justice. Today, for the 
first time in history, there are three women serving simultaneously on 
our Nation's highest court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and 
Elena Kagan.
  While we acknowledge that much progress has been made in the fight 
for women's equality, we must also recognize that significant work 
remains to be done. For the first time in our Nation's history, women 
make up half of the entire U.S. workforce, yet according to the U.S. 
Department of Labor, they still do not receive compensation packages 
equivalent to those of their male counterparts.
  My home state of Indiana reflects both these significant milestones 
in the fight for gender equality in the United States and the 
disparities that still exist. In 1920, Julia Nelson became the first 
woman to serve in our state legislature. Nine decades later, 31 of the 
150 seats in the Indiana General Assembly are filled by women. Clearly, 
much work remains in our efforts for women's equality in our 
communities, our states, and our Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to 
join me in marking the 90th anniversary of the legal guarantee of 
women's right to vote, and in acknowledging that the promise of freedom 
and equality in America requires our ongoing focus to diminish those 
remaining gender-based inequities. In doing so, we honor the memory of 
the pioneers of women's suffrage like Mott, Cady Stanton, and Anthony, 
and create better futures for our mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, 
and friends.

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