A resolution designating March 2020, as "National Women's History Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 563 Designating March 2020 as ‘‘National Women’s History Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 6, 2020 Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CASEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. KAINE, Ms. WARREN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. PETERS, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. BROWN, Mr. KING, Mr. JONES, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. REED, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. ROSEN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mrs. LOEFFLER, Mr. DURBIN, and Ms. ERNST) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating March 2020 as ‘‘National Women’s History Month’’. Whereas National Women’s History Month recognizes and spreads awareness of the importance of women in the his- tory of the United States; Whereas, throughout the history of the United States, wheth- er in their homes, in their workplaces, in schools, in the courts, or during wartime, women have fought for them- selves, their families, and all people of the United States; Whereas, even from the early days of the history of the United States, Abigail Adams urged her husband to ‘‘Re- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 May 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR563.ATS SR563 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 563 ATS member the Ladies’’ when representatives met for the Continental Congress in 1776; Whereas women were particularly important in the establish- ment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural insti- tutions in the United States; Whereas women led the efforts to secure suffrage and equal opportunities for women, and also served in the aboli- tionist movement, the emancipation movement, labor movements, civil rights movements, and other causes to create a more fair and just society for all; Whereas suffragists wrote, marched, were arrested, and ulti- mately succeeded in achieving— (1) the ratification 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.’’; and (2) the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.), which extended the protection of the right to vote to women of color and language mi- norities; Whereas, in 2020, the United States celebrates the 100th an- niversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees women the constitutional right to vote; Whereas women have been and continue to be leaders in the forefront of social change efforts, business, science, gov- ernment, math, art, literature, music, film, athletics, and other fields; Whereas women now represent approximately half of the workforce of the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 May 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR563.ATS SR563 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 563 ATS Whereas women once were routinely barred from attending medical schools in the United States, but now are enroll- ing in medical schools in the United States at higher numbers than men; Whereas women previously were turned away from law school, but now represent approximately half of law stu- dents in the United States; Whereas, since the American Revolution, women have been vital to the mission of the Armed Forces, with more than 200,000 women serving on active duty and 2,000,000 women veterans representing every branch of service; Whereas more than 10,000,000 women own businesses in the United States; Whereas Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives in 1916 and Hat- tie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas was the first woman elected to the United States Senate in 1932; Whereas Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was the first woman to serve in both Houses of Congress; Whereas, in 2020, a record total of 131 women are serving in Congress, including 105 women in the House of Rep- resentatives and 26 women in the Senate; Whereas President Jimmy Carter recognized March 2 through 8, 1980, 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 a Presi- dential proclamation proclaiming March 1987 as ‘‘Wom- en’s History Month’’; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 May 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR563.ATS SR563 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 563 ATS 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 society in the United States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates March 2020 as ‘‘National Wom- 2 en’s History Month’’; 3 (2) recognizes the celebration of National Wom- 4 en’s History Month as a time to reflect on the many 5 notable contributions that women have made to the 6 United States; and 7 (3) urges the people of the United States to ob- 8 serve National Women’s History Month with appro- 9 priate programs and activities. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 May 06, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR563.ATS SR563 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS