mr ferguson reviews the progress on year 2000 readiness and focuses on public disclosure and public confidence in the united states remarks by mr roger w ferguson, jr, a member of the board of governors of the us federal reserve system and chairman of the joint year 2000 council, before the george washington university y2k group in washington, d. c. on 29 july 1999. * * * as the countdown to the year 2000 continues, and with only five months to go until the new year, it is certainly prudent for us to focus now on the year 2000 readiness of our nation and, indeed, the entire global community. so i applaud the research program in social and organizational learning here at george washington university for sponsoring this wide - ranging conference. over the course of several days, this assembly has discussed important issues in many sectors of our economy. these year 2000 discussions, and others like them around the nation, will help to create public awareness and understanding, which are very important building blocks in the structure of public confidence. i will come back to the confidence issue in a few minutes, but i will commence with a review of progress to date. preparedness of the domestic banking industry first i want to provide today some perspectives on the year 2000 readiness of the us banking sector. at the federal reserve we are closely involved with preparations for the century date change in the financial sector here and around the world. we expect there will be glitches. nothing this complex can be completely without fault. however, i want to confirm at the outset that the federal reserve is ready for the year 2000, and every current indication is that the domestic banking system is, for all practical purposes, also ready for a smooth transition. much of my emerging confidence results from the fact that the federal reserve system is fully prepared for the year 2000 ; 100 % of the federal reserve ’ s mission - critical systems are ready. at the federal reserve board and the 12 district banks, we are using today the automated systems that we will use in the year 2000. in fact, we have been testing these systems for more than a year with banks and thrifts that are linked to us around the country for payments and related functions. these tests have gone extremely well. this is significant because the federal reserve banks operate the hub of the nation ’ s payments system, providing depository institutions with essential services in cash, checks, and electronic payments. thus, because of the federal reserve ’ s readiness, americans can have confidence that

michelle w bowman : remarks – “ outstanding women of kansas awards ceremony ” brief remarks by ms michelle w bowman, member of the board of governors of the federal reserve system, at the outstanding women of kansas awards ceremony, topeka, 19 august 2020. * * * thank you to the 19th amendment centennial celebration committee for the honor of being included among these distinguished awardees, whose achievements have done so much for our state and our nation. we are here today because of the tireless efforts of brave women — including kansas women — demanding that men and women have an equal right to vote and shape their destiny. the suffragettes didn ’ t only achieve something for women. through their efforts, our country became a stronger democracy by extending the full opportunity for women to be counted and to take part in the political process. the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 enabled women to directly participate in selecting our country ’ s leaders. it paved the way for women to take part on equal terms, including by serving as leaders themselves. none of us singled out today would be here without the extraordinary efforts of those who secured the vote for women. in my case, it was serving as kansas ’ s first female state bank commissioner, and the first person to serve on the federal reserve board in the role designated by congress for someone with community banking experience. the sacrifice and persistence of those women more than a century ago set an example for future generations of women and allows our daughters to dream that anything is possible with hard work, commitment, and determination. that legacy has deep roots in kansas. as many here know, in 1861, kansas granted women a limited right to vote in school district elections ; and, by 1867, kansas became the first u. s. state to hold a statewide referendum on women ’ s suffrage. even though this first referendum was defeated, it reflected and contributed to a new way of thinking about what it meant to be a woman and citizen. in 1887, kansas elected the first female mayor in america. and in 1912, kansas became the eighth state to approve women ’ s voting rights in all elections. i could not be more proud of my kansas heritage. the participation of women in the political and policymaking process brings a broader perspective. throughout my career, and as an attorney and a public servant, i have found that the inclusion of individuals with a broad range of experiences deepens our understanding of the issues and results in better discussions and more thoughtful decisionmaking. in my current role, i bring the