[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4858-4859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, 42 years ago, Congress passed the 
Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equal rights for American women. 
Although we have made progress leveling the playing field, we still 
have a ways to go.
  Women earn more advanced degrees and make up half of our national 
workforce, but the return on their educational investment doesn't come 
close to their male counterparts. Women

[[Page 4859]]

still earn 77 cents to the dollar men earn and are working lower wage 
jobs in a time when their families are becoming more dependent on their 
salaries.
  I am working to balance the inequities that disadvantage American 
women and, consequently, their families. I cosponsored House Joint 
Resolution 56, the constitutional proposal for an equal rights 
amendment, and I supported the Paycheck Fairness and Fair Minimum Wage 
Acts. These bills are good for working women and good for their 
families.
  Today, I urge my colleagues to stand up for the many unemployed women 
and impacted families in their districts by passing an unemployment 
insurance extension immediately.
  Let's honor Women's History Month by supporting fair wages for all, 
promoting equal treatment under our laws, and by supporting vulnerable 
women by extending safety net benefits like unemployment insurance.

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