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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 292 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 292

 Recognizing the 20th century as the ``Century of Women in the United 
                               States''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 13, 2000

Mr. Cleland (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Bond, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bryan, 
 Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Jeffords, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. 
   Mikulski, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Robb, Mr. Cochran, and Mr. Durbin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Juduciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Recognizing the 20th century as the ``Century of Women in the United 
                               States''.

Whereas women made unparalleled strides during the 20th century in education, 
        professions, legal rights, politics, military service, religion, sports, 
        and self-reliance;
Whereas at the dawn of the 20th century, most women in the United States were 
        denied the right to vote;
Whereas the Women's Suffrage movement, the largest grassroots political movement 
        in the Nation's history, involved about 2,000,000 women and took more 
        than 70 years of petitions, referenda, speeches, national and State 
        campaigns, demonstrations, arrests, and hunger strikes;
Whereas women won the right to vote throughout the United States with the 
        ratification of the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United 
        States in 1920, and by the end of the century, women were voting in 
        larger numbers than men in some national elections;
Whereas women represent an increasing share of people being awarded college and 
        postgraduate degrees;
Whereas women are increasingly owning their own businesses and working to narrow 
        the gap in earnings between women and men, and in 1999 women earned 73 
        cents for every dollar earned by men in contrast to the 57 cents they 
        received in 1973;
Whereas during the 20th century, women served their country proudly and capably 
        in the armed services, including duty in both World Wars, Korea, 
        Vietnam, Panama, Libya, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo, and all major 
        contingencies including in warfighting roles;
Whereas in World War I, women were only allowed to serve in the Army as nurses, 
        and with over 30,000 women serving in World War I, approximately 10,000 
        women served as volunteers overseas, with no rank and no benefits;
Whereas women now serve in all ranks, in all branches of the armed services, as 
        pilots, intelligence specialists, drill instructors, specialists, and 
        technicians, soldiers, airmen, and marines on the battlefields, and as 
        sailors aboard Navy and Coast Guard ships at sea;
Whereas women were once denied the right to enter the national academies for 
        military service or to compete to become astronauts or combat pilots, in 
        1976 Congress passed, and President Ford signed into law, legislation 
        authorizing the admission of women into the military service academies;
Whereas women are now excelling in military academies and emerging as part of 
        the military leadership of the future, and have served with distinction 
        as members of combat squadrons and as commanders and members of the 
        space shuttle crew;
Whereas the 20th century saw women in new roles as justices on the United States 
        Supreme Court, members of the President's Executive Cabinet, United 
        States Senators and Representatives, and women's services have become 
        invaluable in appointed and volunteer positions and as Federal 
        legislators, State and local legislators, Governors, judges, Cabinet 
        officers, county commissioners, mayors, city council members, directors 
        of Federal, State and local agencies;
Whereas women have become prominent figures in amateur and professional sports 
        highlighted in 1999 with the United States Women's Soccer Team winning 
        the World Cup in a stunning victory; and
Whereas women can look back at the opportunities created during the 20th century 
        and look ahead toward even greater accomplishments in the 21st century: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the accomplishments and unfailing spirit of 
        women in the 20th century; and
            (2) recognizes the 20th century as the ``Century of Women 
        in the United States''.
                                 <all>
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