IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 727 

Congratulating Prime Minister-designate Portia Simpson Miller for becoming 

the first female Prime Minister-designate of Jamaica. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2006 

Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. LEE, Mr. BROWN of 

Ohio, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. CROWLEY, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. OWENS, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. WATSON, 

Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. 

SHERMAN, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. HONDA, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. BACA, Mr. 

BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. REYES, Ms. SOLIS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, 

Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 

COSTA, Mr. MOLLOHAN, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. 

KUCINICH, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. FARR, Mr. NADLER, and Ms. CARSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating Prime Minister-designate Portia Simpson 

Miller for becoming the first female Prime Minister-designate of Jamaica. 

Whereas on February 25, 2006, Portia Lucretia Simpson 

Miller was elected by a plurality of votes to the post of 

President of the People’s National Party in Jamaica, the 

first woman to be elected to that post in the party’s 

sixty-eight year history; 


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•HRES 727 IH 

Whereas Mrs. Simpson Miller will make history by being 

sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica; 

Whereas Mrs. Simpson Miller states that her achievements 

prove that ‘‘in Jamaica, any little boy or girl, from any 

walk of life, can become Prime Minister of the country’’; 

Whereas, in 1970, Mrs. Simpson Miller was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and in the Office of the Prime Minister; 

Whereas, in 1989, Mrs. Simpson Miller was appointed as the 

Minister of Labour, Welfare, and Sport by former Prime 

Minister Michael Manley; 

Whereas Mrs. Simpson Miller has served in various posts in 

Prime Minister Percival J. ‘‘P.J.’’ Patterson’s cabinet 

since 1992, and prior to being appointed President of the 

People’s National Party served as Minister for Local 

Government, Community Development and Sport; 

Whereas Mrs. Simpson Miller considers herself an advocate 

for the poor, the dispossessed, and the oppressed; 

Whereas Mrs. Simpson Miller participated in the first Eleanor Roosevelt Caucus of Women Political Leaders and 

the Women in Leadership Conference at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; 

Whereas Jamaica is an English-speaking Caribbean nation 

with a population of approximately 2.7 million, has a stable parliamentarian democracy, and is a middle-income 

developing country; 

Whereas United States relations with Jamaica are close and 

characterized by significant bilateral economic efforts on 

issues such as the reduction of drug trafficking, hurricane reconstruction, and combating the AIDS epidemic; 


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Whereas approximately 10,000 Americans, many with dual 

citizenship, live in Jamaica and over 700,000 American 

tourists visited Jamaica in 2005, accounting for over 70 

percent of Jamaica’s tourist arrivals; 

Whereas the election of the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller 

represents a proud moment, not only for women of Jamaica, but for women across the world; and 

Whereas it has been said about Mrs. Simpson Miller that 

‘‘while the nation sleeps, she works’’: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) congratulates Prime Minister-designate Por3 tia Simpson Miller for becoming the first female 

4 Prime Minister-designate of Jamaica; 

5 (2) honors and recognizes the achievements of 

6 the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller; and 

7 (3) directs the Clerk of the House of Represent8 atives to make available an enrolled copy of this res9 olution to Prime Minister-designate Portia Simpson 

10 Miller. 

Æ 


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