[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 60 (Thursday, May 5, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2732-S2733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. Manchin, Mr. cochran, Mr. 
        Whitehouse, and Ms. Stabenow):

[[Page S2733]]

  S. 889. A bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of Mother's 
Day; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
Mother's Day Centennial Coin Commemorative Coin Act. I am proud to be 
joined by a bipartisan group of cosponsors including Senators Manchin, 
Cochran, Stabenow, and Whitehouse.
  With Mother's Day set for Sunday, May 8th, this is a special event 
for all of West Virginia because this annual tribute to our mothers 
began in West Virginia. In 1908, a West Virginian woman by the name of 
Anna Jarvis petitioned her local church to declare May 9th as Mother's 
Day. She hoped that this holiday would serve as a remembrance for 
mothers and a reminder for peace. Within a year, all 46 current States 
held some sort of Mother's Day and a mere 5 years later, Congress and 
the President declared the second Sunday of May national Mother's Day. 
The centennial for the national recognition of Mother's Day will occur 
in 2014, and this bill provides an opportunity to commemorate the 
centennial of this great holiday and further recognize the millions of 
American mothers whose essential role in life cannot be overstated.
  The legislation I am introducing today would recognize the centennial 
of Mother's Day by authorizing the Treasury to mint commemorative 
Mother's Day coins. Profits generated from the sale of these coins 
would be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and The National 
Osteoporosis Foundation. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has raised nearly 
$2 billion for breast cancer research since 1982, and the National 
Osteoporosis Foundation is considered our Nation's leading voluntary 
health organization.
  Each year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer 
and nearly 40,000 die of this devastating disease. This legislation not 
only honors our Nation's mothers, but also helps to raise funds to 
fight the second most prevalent cancer in women. Thousands of mothers 
have benefited from the efforts of these organizations and they are 
well deserving of our support. Therefore, I encourage my colleagues' 
support for this legislation to honor every mother in our country and 
to prepare for the upcoming centennial. Celebrating Mother's Day by 
helping to promote the health of American mothers seems to be a fitting 
tribute.
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