IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 362 
Congratulating Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller for becoming the first 
democratically-elected female Prime Minister of Jamaica and the first 
female head of state. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 16, 2006 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Congratulating Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller for be-
coming the first democratically-elected female Prime 
Minister of Jamaica and the first female head of state. 
Whereas Portia Simpson-Miller won the 2006 parliamen-
tarian election in Jamaica, becoming the first female 
Prime Minister in the history of the nation; 
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, she re-
ceived 1,775 votes, while her nearest rival, national secu-
rity minister Dr. Peter Phillips, took 1,538 votes; 
Whereas Ms. Simpson-Miller had been the Minister of Local 
Government and Sport since October 2002; 
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HCON 362 IH 
Whereas she previously served as 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, Min-
ister of Labour, Social Security and Sports from 1995 to 
February 2000, and Minister of Tourisms and Sports 
from February 2000 to October 2002; 
Whereas she served as a Vice President of the People’s Na-
tional Party since 1978; 
Whereas Ms. Simpson-Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts in pub-
lic 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 fe-
male, and in law schools, the percentage is between 80 
and 90; 
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, 
particularly in the male-dominated area of politics; and 
Whereas Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller will take of-
fice on March 30, 2006: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) congratulates Prime Minister Portia Simp-
son-Miller for becoming the first democratically- 
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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 di-
verse and prosperous nation, and encourages further 
progress by Jamaican women to be strong, success-
ful leaders and policymakers. 
Æ 
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