[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 59 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1774-H1776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
                   100 YEARS OF WOMEN IN CONGRESS ACT

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4570) to amend the Department of 
Agriculture program for research and extension grants to increase 
participation by women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to redesignate the 
program as the ``Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields 
Program''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4570

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``100 Years of Women in 
     Congress Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The first woman elected to Congress, Representative 
     Jeannette Rankin from Montana, was elected on November 7, 
     1916, almost four years prior to ratification of the 19th 
     Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to 
     vote.
       (2) Jeannette Rankin was not only a pioneer in national 
     electoral politics, she was also a pioneer as a woman in 
     science, graduating from the University of Montana in 1902 
     with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.
       (3) 100 years after the election of Jeannette Rankin, 108 
     women serve in the 114th Congress, more than at any other 
     time in our Nation's history. While this improvement is 
     commendable, women hold only 20 percent of the seats in 
     Congress, far below their relative share of the American 
     electorate.
       (4) According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women 
     make up 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce. Gains have 
     been made in the science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics (STEM) fields over time, but women still comprise 
     only 39 percent of chemists and material scientists, 28 
     percent of environmental scientists and

[[Page H1775]]

     geoscientists, 16 percent of chemical engineers, and 12 
     percent of civil engineers.
       (5) More must be done to encourage women to run for elected 
     office and to enter STEM fields.

     SEC. 3. JEANNETTE RANKIN WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS 
                   PROGRAM.

       Paragraph (7) of section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, 
     Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)(7)) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(7) Jeannette rankin women and minorities in stem fields 
     program.--Research and extension grants may be made under 
     this section to increase participation by women and 
     underrepresented minorities from rural areas in the fields of 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, with 
     priority given to eligible institutions that carry out 
     continuing programs funded by the Secretary. Any grant made 
     under this paragraph shall be known and designated as a 
     `Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program 
     Grant'.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. 
DelBene) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4570, the 100 Years of Women 
in Congress Act. This legislation would honor a true pioneer of 
American politics by naming an important agricultural research program 
as the Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program.
  This competitive research grants program is designed to increase 
participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas 
in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
  I can think of no better person to identify with this important 
program than former Representative Rankin, who was the first woman to 
serve in the United States House of Representatives, an achievement 
made even more significant by the fact that Ms. Rankin was elected to 
Congress several years prior to the ratification of the 19th Amendment 
granting women the right to vote.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. DelBENE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 4570, the 100 Years of 
Women in Congress Act. This is bipartisan legislation on a topic that 
is critical for our country and personally important to me.
  This legislation would honor the first woman elected to Congress in 
1916, Jeannette Rankin, by renaming USDA's Women and Minorities in STEM 
Fields Program as the Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM 
Fields Grant Program.
  Jeannette Rankin graduated with a degree in biology long before it 
was common for women to be scientists, and she was elected to Congress 
before women had the right to vote. As a fellow Pacific northwesterner, 
she continues to be an inspiration today.
  There is no doubt that we need more women, especially more women 
leaders, in STEM fields. The year I graduated from college, women 
received 37 percent of the computer sciences degrees. Today it is below 
20 percent.
  One explanation for this is that, in the early days of PCs, computers 
were seen as toys and were marketed heavily to boys, not girls. 
Eventually, young women considered computer science and showed up on 
college campuses and found themselves alone in computer science 
classrooms dominated by men.
  Before Congress, I had a long career in the technology sector and 
worked with a lot of developers in the early days of email, so I know 
what it is like to be the only woman in the room.
  Thankfully, I had a strong female role model, my mother, who showed 
my sisters and me that we could do anything we wanted in our careers.
  So I know firsthand how important it is that our kids develop the 
skills they need to have bright futures and help make sure the United 
States remains a leader in technology and innovation. Children, 
especially young women, need more role models like Jeannette Rankin so 
they can see themselves in STEM fields.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a 
brief moment to thank my colleague, Ms. DelBene, for her kind comments 
and for helping to ensure that this great bill is going to make it 
through with a very bipartisan majority.
  I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great 
State of Montana (Mr. Zinke), my colleague who is one of the most 
courageous Members of Congress, somebody who served our Nation in our 
U.S. military for many years and deserves our thanks.
  Mr. ZINKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the women of Montana to 
advocate for renaming the Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Grant 
Program to honor former Montana Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin. Yes, I 
do hold her seat and, yes, she held the first seat in Montana before 
women could vote.
  I would like to also say that she was a true Montanan. She embodied 
the pioneer spirit that we know and love. She led the way in so many 
different areas to include:
  She was one of the first to graduate from the University of Montana 
with a degree in biology. She voted against both wars because she could 
not fight. Her spirit blazoned the trails and gave us leadership. She 
was also a gifted scientific mind and an early pioneer.
  The grant program is an important tool for young women today to 
continue their education in STEM and possibly break new ground, like 
Jeannette Rankin, and blaze new trails for young women of tomorrow, 
today, and our future.
  I would like to add that my own staffer, Ms. Jocelyn Galt, is a 
relative of Jeannette Rankin. She, too, demonstrates the tenacity and 
determination that made Jeannette Rankin successful and feared among 
her peers.
  Renaming this program in Representative Rankin's honor is the right 
thing to do because it a reminder of those who had courage to break 
down the barriers, had the tenacity to not let go of their dreams, and 
the courage to be a mentor and an inspiration to us all.

  I am happy to partner with Representative Grace Meng on this 
important endeavor. I thank her for her leadership.
  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), the sponsor of this legislation.
  Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to be here today to celebrate 
the 100th anniversary of women serving in Congress. Thank you for 
allowing this legislation to come to the floor.
  I also thank my friend and colleague, Representative Zinke, for 
offering this legislation with me. His support has been instrumental in 
ensuring the consideration of this bill, and I am deeply grateful to 
him.
  A hundred years ago this November, the people of Montana elected 
Jeannette Rankin to the United States House of Representatives. She was 
the first woman elected to Congress and was elected before passage of 
the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
  Jeannette Rankin was a trailblazer her entire life. In 1902, she 
graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in biology.
  Afterward, she would become active in the women's suffrage movement, 
moving to New York City and assisting in the founding of the New York 
Woman Suffrage Party and working for the National American Woman 
Suffrage Party.
  She would return to Montana and was elected to office in the 
congressional election of 1916. Upon winning, she declared: ``I may be 
the first woman Member of Congress, but I won't be the last.''
  I am happy to say she was right.

[[Page H1776]]

  In recognition of Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin's many 
accomplishments and in celebration of the centennial anniversary of her 
election to Congress, Representative Zinke and I introduced the 100 
Years of Women in Congress Act.
  Because Jeannette Rankin was a woman of science more than 100 years 
before our current push to have more women enter STEM fields, we felt 
it appropriate to rename the Department of Agriculture's Women and 
Minorities in STEM Fields Grant Program after her.
  This program currently supports collaborative research projects at 
institutions of higher education, which seek to increase the 
participation of women and minorities from rural areas in STEM fields. 
It will continue to do so into the future, but now it will also 
recognize the many contributions Jeannette Rankin made to American 
life.
  Mr. Speaker, thank you again for allowing this legislation to come to 
the floor today, and I thank Congressman Zinke for partnering with me 
on it.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me and all of us 
here in support of this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it has been 100 years 
since the first woman was elected to serve in this great institution, 
and now I am blessed to serve with so many great women on both sides of 
the aisle.
  This is a recognition that is long overdue.
  I urge all of my colleagues, along with those you have already heard 
today, to support this important piece of legislation to give Ms. 
Rankin the respect and the honor that she deserves when she walked here 
100 years ago.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4570, 
the ``100 Years of Women in Congress Act,'' which renames the existing 
Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program, or WAMS program, through 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as the ``Jeannette Rankin Women and 
Minorities in STEM Fields Program.''
  I commend Congresswoman Meng and Congressman Zinke for introducing 
this bipartisan legislation which:
  Highlights the importance and contributions of women Members in 
Congress;
  Recognizes the importance of the Suffragette Movement in achieving 
opportunities for women;
  Emphasizes the imperative of promoting education for women in STEM; 
and
  Affirms our nation's commitment to expanding opportunities for rural 
women in my home state of Texas and across the country.
  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first woman being 
elected to Congress, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana.
  This bill is a fitting way to honor Representative Rankin's legacy, 
and to celebrate the many contributions of the female lawmakers who 
have succeeded her in this institution.
  Jeannette Rankin was a trailblazer who broke barriers throughout her 
lifetime and whose example continues to inspire women the world over.
  She graduated from the University of Montana with a biology degree in 
1902.
  She later became active in the women's suffrage movement, organizing 
the New York Women's Suffrage Party and working for the National 
American Woman Suffrage Association.
  In 1916, Representative Rankin became the first woman elected to 
Congress, even before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which 
guaranteed the right to vote to women.
  For all of her contributions to women's rights, to political 
activism, and to this institution, it is only fitting to pay tribute to 
her achievements.
  The USDA WAMS program was created specifically to encourage women and 
minorities from rural areas to participate in research and projects in 
the sciences.
  Women and minorities have been and continue to be underrepresented in 
STEM fields.
  Although women make up 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force, they 
comprise only 36 percent of the computing workforce, 24 percent of the 
engineering workforce, and 18 percent of the advanced manufacturing 
workforce.
  Indeed, minority representation in STEM fields is even lower, with 
African-American and Latino workers comprising 29 percent of the 
general workforce, but only 15 percent of the computing workforce, 12 
percent of the engineering workforce, and 6 percent of the advanced 
manufacturing workforce.
  The WAMS program is one way that we can address these glaring 
disparities.
  WAMS grants are awarded to universities and institutions of higher 
learning to distribute to eligible applicants, and they prioritize 
projects and programs of particular relevance to USDA.
  Recipient institutions have used WAMS grants for worthy endeavors, 
such as: establishing a WAMS fellowship program for women and minority 
high school students in rural areas; providing mentorship and hands-on, 
service-based learning to high school students and undergraduates in 
particular STEM fields; and offering mentoring services to current 
undergraduates to help them successfully complete STEM-based degrees.
  Because Representative Rankin is a graduate of the sciences from a 
rural area, renaming the WAMS program as the Jeannette Rankin Women and 
Minorities in STEM Fields Program is the perfect way to honor her 
legacy as a woman of the sciences and the first woman elected to 
Congress, and to encourage the next generation of women and minorities 
from rural areas to take up STEM fields.
  I join my colleagues in support of this important measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4570.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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