[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1602-S1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 409--RECOGNIZING MARCH 2016 AS ``NATIONAL WOMEN'S 
                            HISTORY MONTH''

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Baldwin, 
Ms. Heitkamp, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Ayotte, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs. 
Capito, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, 
Ms. Collins, Mr. Reed, Ms. Warren, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. 
Fischer, Mrs. McCaskill, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. Ernst, Mr. Carper, Mr. 
Heinrich, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Brown) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 409

       Whereas National Women's History Month recognizes and 
     spreads awareness of the importance of women in the history 
     of the United States;
       Whereas, throughout the history of the United States, 
     whether in the home, at the office, in school, in the courts, 
     or in wartime, women have fought for themselves, their 
     families, and all people of the United States and played an 
     essential role in the history of the United States;
       Whereas, even from the early days of the United States, 
     Abigail Adams urged her husband to ``Remember the Ladies'' 
     when representatives met for the Continental Congress in 
     1776;
       Whereas women were particularly important in the 
     establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and 
     cultural institutions in the United States;
       Whereas women led the efforts to secure suffrage and equal 
     opportunity for women and also served in the abolitionist 
     movement, the emancipation movement, labor movements, civil 
     rights movements, and other causes to create a more fair and 
     just society for all people;
       Whereas suffragists wrote, marched, were arrested, went on 
     hunger strikes, and were force-fed in prison but were 
     ultimately successful in achieving the enactment of the 19th 
     Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which 
     provides, ``The right of citizens of the United States to 
     vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or 
     by any State on account of sex.'';
       Whereas women have served and continue to serve as leaders 
     in the forefront of social change efforts;
       Whereas women of every race and background have played and 
     continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social 
     role in every sphere of the life of the United States, 
     including by constituting a significant portion of the labor 
     force working inside and outside of the home;
       Whereas women now represent approximately \1/4\ of the 
     workforce in the fields of science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics;
       Whereas women once were routinely barred from attending 
     medical schools in the

[[Page S1603]]

     United States but now represent 47 percent of medical school 
     students;
       Whereas women previously were turned away from law schools 
     but now represent 47 percent of law school graduates but only 
     20 percent of law school deans and 27 percent of State and 
     Federal judges;
       Whereas women have served in the United States Armed Forces 
     in volunteer and enlisted positions, with 201,400 active-duty 
     women currently serving and women comprising approximately 10 
     percent of veterans;
       Whereas more than 9,900,000 women own small businesses in 
     the United States;
       Whereas women in the United States contribute significantly 
     to the artistic and literary advancements of the United 
     States;
       Whereas the 2016 theme of National Women's History Month is 
     ``Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in 
     Public Service and Government'';
       Whereas, in 1932, Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas was the 
     first woman elected to the United States Senate;
       Whereas Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was the first woman 
     to serve in both houses of Congress;
       Whereas, in the 114th Congress, 20 women serve as Senators 
     and 84 women serve in the House of Representatives, both of 
     which are records;
       Whereas, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first 
     proclamation designating March 2 through 8 as ``National 
     Women's History Week'';
       Whereas, in 1987, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced 
     the first joint resolution to pass Congress designating 
     ``Women's History Month'';
       Whereas, in 1987, President Ronald Reagan issued the first 
     Women's History Month proclamation; and
       Whereas, despite the advancements of women in the United 
     States, much remains to be done to ensure that women realize 
     their full potential as equal members of the society of the 
     United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 2016 as ``National Women's History 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes the celebration of National Women's History 
     Month as a time to reflect on the many notable contributions 
     that women have made to the United States; and
       (3) urges the people of the United States to observe 
     National Women's History Month with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

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