[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6738-H6740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      WOMEN WHO WORKED ON THE HOME FRONT WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL ACT

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3531) to authorize the Women Who Worked on the Home 
Front Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of 
Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3531

       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 ``Women Who Worked on the Home 
     Front World War II Memorial Act''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION TO ESTABLISH COMMEMORATIVE WORK.

       (a) In General.--The Women Who Worked on the Home Front 
     Foundation may establish a commemorative work on Federal land 
     in the District of Columbia and its environs to commemorate 
     the commitment and service represented by women who worked on 
     the home front during World War II.
       (b) Compliance With Standards for Commemorative Works.--The 
     establishment of the commemorative work under this section 
     shall be in accordance with chapter 89 of title 40, United 
     States Code (commonly known as the ``Commemorative Works 
     Act'').
       (c) Prohibition on the Use of Federal Funds.--
       (1) In general.--Federal funds may not be used to pay any 
     expense of the establishment of the commemorative work under 
     this section.
       (2) Responsibility of women who worked on the home front 
     foundation.--The Women Who Worked on the Home Front 
     Foundation shall be solely responsible for acceptance of 
     contributions for, and payment of the expenses of, the 
     establishment of the commemorative work under this section.
       (d) Deposit of Excess Funds.--
       (1) In general.--If upon payment of all expenses for the 
     establishment of the memorial (including the maintenance and 
     preservation amount required by section 8906(b)(1) of title 
     40, United States Code), there remains a balance of funds 
     received for the establishment of the commemorative work, the 
     Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation shall transmit 
     the amount of the balance to the Secretary of the Interior 
     for deposit in the account provided for in section 8906(b)(3) 
     of title 40, United States Code.
       (2) On expiration of authority.--If upon expiration of the 
     authority for the commemorative work under section 8903(e) of 
     title 40, United States Code, there remains a balance of 
     funds received for the establishment of the commemorative 
     work, the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation shall 
     transmit the amount of the balance to a separate account with 
     the National Park Foundation for memorials, to be available 
     to the Secretary of the Interior or Administrator (as 
     appropriate) following the process provided in section 
     8906(b)(4) of title 40, United States Code, for accounts 
     established under section 8906(b)(2) or (3) of title 40, 
     United States Code.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. 
Westerman) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Mexico.


                             General Leave

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3531, the Women Who 
Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act, introduced by 
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton. And I thank Representative 
Eleanor Holmes Norton for the work that she has done to make sure that 
all women are recognized and that we have a way of focusing that 
recognition through this memorial.
  This bill would authorize the establishment of a memorial to 
commemorate the nearly 19 million women who worked on the home front 
during World War II. With mass male enlistment leaving significant 
vacancies in the industrial and defense agencies, women across the 
country filled thousands of jobs that were historically held by men to 
support the war effort and to keep America running.
  As the men fought abroad, these women worked in defense plants, flew 
military aircraft, delivered mail, and performed countless other duties 
necessary to keep the home front running.

                              {time}  1330

  In addition to the women working on the home front, nearly 350,000 
women served in uniform, both at home and abroad--directly supporting 
the war effort as codebreakers, Airforce Service Pilots, and as 
volunteers for organizations such as the Army Nurse Corps.
  The work carried out by women on the home front during World War II 
opened the door for women to hold more types of jobs than ever before, 
and it is long past time that Congress recognizes the contributions to 
our Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for introducing 
this important legislation. I would also like to extend my gratitude to 
Ms. Raya Kenney, who developed the idea for this memorial when she was 
in fifth grade, and for her tireless efforts to ensure that the 
millions of women who worked on the home front during World War II are 
recognized and celebrated.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3531, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3531 offered by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, 
authorizes the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to 
establish a commemorative work in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 
commitment and service of millions of women during World War II.
  During World War II, roughly 12 million women worked in defense 
industries and support services across the Nation. Women served in 
critical professional roles in shipyards, steel mills, foundries, 
warehouses, offices, and hospitals.
  Women worked as codebreakers, aircraft testing pilots, trainers, 
welders, riveters, telegraph operators, radio and electrical engineers, 
crane operators,

[[Page H6739]]

surveyors, assembly line workers, and many other jobs that kept America 
running.
  In recent years, Congress established the Rosie the Riveter National 
Historical Park in California to highlight the incredible contributions 
of women to the war effort. Authorizing this commemorative work in our 
Nation's capital is another fitting tribute to the brave, strong, and 
intelligent women that helped us win the war.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), 
the sponsor of the bill.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank both of my friends for their kind 
remarks on my bill, the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II 
Memorial Act. As my friend has just said, this is really an unusual 
bill because it came to me from a fifth grader. I am particularly 
pleased and proud to speak in favor of her bill, the Women Who Worked 
on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act. This is all her idea, 
including getting the funds for the memorial.
  This bill would authorize the establishment of a memorial on Federal 
land in the District of Columbia commemorating the efforts of the 18 
million American women who kept the home front running during World War 
II.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Senators Tammy Duckworth, Marsha Blackburn, 
and Mike Braun for introducing the companion bill in the Senate. Last 
Congress, the House passed this non-controversial bill by a voice vote, 
and I am hoping for that result again in this House and in the Senate.
  As a teenager, Raya Kenney, the founder--and I emphasize ``founder'' 
for this very young woman--of the non-profit Women Who Worked on the 
Home Front Foundation--her own foundation--and my constituent, as she 
is, came up with the idea of a memorial to honor the women on the home 
front who supported World War II in its effort.
  She rightfully questioned why the women on the home front, whose 
efforts were so instrumental in maintaining the stability of our 
country during World War II, have not received as much recognition for 
their contributions as the men who fought bravely in World War II.
  This bill would authorize the Women Who Worked on the Home Front 
Foundation to establish a memorial to honor these women. The memorial 
is designed to be interactive and to educate visitors on the important 
role women played during World War II.
  Between 1940 and 1945, the percentage of women in the workforce 
increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent. By 1945, one in four 
married women worked outside the home. The work done by women on the 
home front opened the doors for women in the workplace widely and has 
had a profound and lasting effect on the job market ever since.
  As a result of their efforts, millions of American women on the home 
front redefined so-called women's work and paved the way for future 
generations.
  Many women also played critical roles in support of the war effort. 
More than 10,000 women served behind the scenes of World War II as 
codebreakers. Due to the classified nature of their work, they did not 
receive recognition for their tireless efforts until recently.

  Women were also trained to fly military aircraft so male pilots could 
leave for combat duty overseas. More than 1,100 female civilian 
volunteers flew nearly every type of military aircraft as part of the 
Women Airforce Service Pilots, the WASP program.
  The WASPs flew planes from factories to bases, transported cargo, and 
participated in simulated strafing and target missions. These women 
were not given full military status until 1977, and it was not until 
2010 that they were recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Women have been historically underrepresented in our memorials, 
particularly the memorials on Federal land in our Nation's capital. It 
is fitting to authorize a memorial that would allow millions of 
visitors to the Nation's capital to understand and honor the heroic 
efforts of these women and their lasting impact on the fabric of our 
society.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers on my side, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, as I listened to the testimony about 
the bill today, I thought about all of the women that I was around 
growing up who were part of that war effort at home during World War II 
and the jobs that they did that were critical to the war effort.
  I think about Representative Burchett's mother from Tennessee who 
flew planes in World War II. My counsel's grandmother, Mimi Hart, was a 
codebreaker in World War II, and I think it is fitting that we 
recognize all these women as they are getting up in years and we are 
losing a lot of them.
  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman for bringing this bill 
forward. I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Speaker, I am so grateful to 
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton because she knows how to listen to 
brilliant women no matter the age. We really need to thank Ms. Raya 
Kenney for coming up with the idea. Precisely, as we have heard on the 
floor of the House today, it was not just Rosie the riveter, it was a 
complex participation of women in the workforce.
  In New Mexico, they were participating by running the ranches, they 
were participating in our national labs on defense issues and some of 
the most complex scientific discoveries that helped us win the war.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3531, the 
``Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act.''
  I would first like to thank my colleague, Delegate Eleanor Holmes 
Norton, for introducing this important legislation to honor these 
women.
  This bill authorizes the Women Who Worked on the Home Front 
Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the 
District of Columbia in commemoration of the commitment and service 
represented by women who worked on the home front during World War II.
  This important legislation would authorize a memorial in honor of 
these women and their service to our nation, right here in the Nation's 
capital.
  During World War II, over 18 million American women kept the home 
front running in support of the country's overall war effort.
  Not only did they give their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers to 
the war effort, they gave their time, energy, labor, and some even gave 
their lives.
  Beyond providing support for their children at home and men at war, 
the committed women on the home front stepped forward to assume the 
work and duties needed to keep the country running, most of these jobs 
were not available to women before the war.
  Between 1940 and 1945, the age of ``Rosie the Riveter,'' the 
percentage of women in the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to 
nearly 37 percent, and by 1945, nearly one out of every four married 
women worked outside the home.
  World War II opened the door for women to work in more types of jobs 
than ever before.
  These women were not only instrumental to the war effort, but they 
showed the country and the world what women were capable of, 
fundamentally changing the path for future generations of women.
  Eisenhower himself said, ``The contribution of the women of America, 
whether on the farm or in the factory or in uniform, to D-Day was a 
sine qua non [or necessary for] . . . the invasion effort.''
  These women were fundamental to our defeat of the Axis Powers, and I 
fully support this legislation's passage to honor their valiant 
efforts.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. McCollum). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3531, as amended.
  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. PERRY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.

[[Page H6740]]

  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

                          ____________________