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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 16 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 16

 Congratulating Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller for becoming the 
 first democratically-elected female Prime Minister of Jamaica and the 
                  first female Jamaican head of state.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2007

Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 Congratulating Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller for becoming the 
 first democratically-elected female Prime Minister of Jamaica and the 
                  first female Jamaican head of state.

Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller won the 2006 parliamentary election in Jamaica, 
        becoming the first female Prime Minister in the history of Jamaica;
Whereas on February 25, 2006, Portia Simpson-Miller was elected President of the 
        People's National Party and Prime Minister-designate;
Whereas in the People's National Party internal vote, Portia Simpson-Miller 
        received 1,775 votes, while her nearest rival, National Security 
        Minister Dr. Peter Phillips, received 1,538 votes;
Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller had been the Jamaican Minister of Local Government 
        and Sport since October 2002;
Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller previously served as Jamaican Minister of Labour, 
        Welfare and Sports from 1989 to 1993, when she first entered Parliament 
        for South West St. Andrew, then served as Minister of Labour and Welfare 
        from 1993 to 1995, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sports from 
        1995 to February 2000, and Minister of Tourism and Sports from February 
        2000 to October 2002;
Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller had also served as a Vice President of the 
        People's National Party since 1978;
Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts in public administration 
        from the Union Institute, and has since been awarded an Honorary 
        Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Union Institute;
Whereas 70 percent of Jamaican university students are female and 80 to 90 
        percent of Jamaican law school students are female;
Whereas women in Jamaica have traditionally made up close to 50 percent of the 
        labor force and, over the past two decades, have increasingly moved into 
        many of the senior and middle-management positions across society;
Whereas there are still few women in the highest positions of Jamaican society, 
        particularly in the male-dominated area of politics; and
Whereas Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller took office on March 30, 2006: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That Congress--
            (1) congratulates Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller for 
        becoming the first democratically-elected female Prime Minister 
        of Jamaica and the first female Jamaican head of state; and
            (2) commends the people of Jamaica for this benchmark for 
        women, for democracy, and for a diverse and prosperous nation, 
        and encourages further progress by Jamaican women to be strong, 
        successful leaders and policymakers.
                                 <all>
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