Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the establishment of an appropriate day for the commemoration of the women suffragists who fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for H.J. Res. 59, a joint resolution that expresses the sense of Congress with respect to the women suffragists who fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States. It is my privilegte to join Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, my colleague and fellow Nevadan, in the effort to honor and celebrate their hard-won achievements.

Our Nation was founded on the principle of ``consent of the governed.'' Yet for the greater part of America's history, women were denied the fundamental right to participate in our democracy through the power of the vote. Today, it would be unthinkable and unconscionable to hold elections where not every vote properly cast is counted. Eighty-five years ago--perhaps within the lifespan of our mothers or grandmothers--this was not the case.

Next month we will observe the 85th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which finally secured women's right to vote in the United States. The 19th amendment does not just represent voting rights. It also represents a profound victory for women suffragists long seeking to be affirmed as equal partners in America's civic, cultural, and social affairs. But as victories with enduring and far-reaching consequences tend to, this one required the suffragists to first overcome numerous setbacks.

In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton ran for Congress to test women's constitutional right to hold public office--and received only 24 of 12,000 votes cast. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony registered to vote in Rochester, New York, and cast a ballot--and subsequently was arrested. Two years later, the Supreme Court considered whether citizenship itself conferred voting rights and ruled that it does not for women. During the several years leading up to 1920, many suffragists, including Alice Paul, exercised their right to engage in civil discourse through protest and were thrown in jail for doing so.

These names may not sound familiar to everyone. Nor are these events the full extent of the challenges that the women suffragists faced as they fought for the ratification of the 19th amendment. The joint resolution would let us remember them and give them their due tribute.

The women suffragists commended in this resolution were instrumental not

just in securing women's right to vote. By winning for women the power of the ballot, they moved countless others to strengthen women's voice in charting the course of the nation. By asserting women's equality in the mechanism that sustains our democracy, they helped future generations fight for equality in all aspects of American life. By opening the voting booths, they spurred on the work to open our institutions of higher education, our athletic fields, and our boardrooms. And by having persisted in their convictions, they inspire young women today, like Hannah Low and Destiny Carroll of Henderson, Nevada, to continue the effort to ensure that their triumphs will not be forgotten.

On behalf of Hannah and Destiny, as well as my friend Congresswoman Berkley, each person a credit to Nevada, I am pleased to support the passage of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 59) expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the establishment of an appropriate day for the commemoration of the women suffragists who fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of House Joint Resolution 59. This legislation, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from Las Vegas, Nevada (Ms. Berkley) recognizes women's suffrage as a great milestone in our Nation's history.

The resolution specifically intends to commemorate the struggle waged by suffragists such as Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony as a culmination in women's earning the right to vote. Many people reviled social reformers like these women leaders in the mid-19th Century. Today, however, they rightfully celebrate the fight to end this injustice.

I appreciate the gentlewoman from Nevada's work in further recognizing the legacy of the American civil rights movement.

From the women's rights meeting called by Mott and Stanton in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 until the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, the determination of these women was as strong and has endured as any in our history. To earn the right to vote, these women chained themselves to the White House gates. They went on hunger strikes. They participated in marches and often were arrested and jailed for their disobedient action.

Despite the difficult obstacles and resistance they faced, suffragists remained committed to giving women the equal voice in American politics. Their victory was finally secured when Secretary of State Colby certified the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920. The joint resolution under consideration marks the 19th amendment's upcoming 85th anniversary on August 26.

The 19th amendment reads: ``The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' This single, timeless sentence ensured that our democracy would never again restrict women from voting for their leaders.

Mr. Speaker, the story of the women suffragists included many excruciating chapters, but its tumultuous activities and its conclusion is a credit to democracy and the ability to adapt and improve.

For all these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the adoption of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I urge adoption of House Joint Resolution 59.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 59, expressing the support of Congress for the establishment of a day to honor the women suffragists who

fought for and won voting rights for women in the United States.

On July 19, 1848, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton convened the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. From that time onward the leaders of the women's suffrage movement exhibited boundless courage and perseverance in their quest for equal representation.

Their journey was neither quick nor painless, and leading suffragists experienced public scorn and official persecution during nearly a century of campaigning. The women's rights movement relied on different methods of protest ranging from picketing and marches to hunger strikes. One suffragist, Alice Paul, led a famous protest in which she and several other women chained themselves to the White House fence.

These and similar acts of civil disobedience often landed the suffragists in jail. In 1872, when Susan B. Anthony and a group of women voted in the presidential election in Rochester, New York, she was arrested and fined. However, no amount threats or abuse could deter her or the other suffragists. At the close of her trial and with the whole nation watching, Susan B. Anthony made a fiery speech, stating ``Resistance to Tyranny Is Obedience to God.''

Even in the face of persecution, this unrelenting commitment to justice, democracy, and the ideals set forth in the Constitution of the United States ultimately won the day. On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women in the United States the right to vote.

The women who led the fight for equal voting rights for women deserve our recognition not only for their tireless pursuit of justice in the face of persecution, but also for their tremendous contribution to the creation of a more perfect Union.

The success of the suffragists proved that even a prejudice rooted in centuries of custom and reinforced by all of the laws of the day cannot stand indefinitely against reasoned appeals to the ideals upon which our great nation was founded.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in support of setting a day to commemorate the contributions of these courageous Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 59 introduced by my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, and I commend her for introducing this bill.

The battle for suffrage began in earnest in 1848, when Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a convention in Seneca Falls, NY, to advance women's rights. Their struggle continued for 72 years, until August 18, 1920, when ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution finally gave women the right to vote.

Like other civil rights campaigns, the fight for suffrage required strong and principled individuals who risked health, wealth, and societal denigration. Susan B. Anthony and her fellow activists were fearless in their efforts to win the right to vote in the 19th century. Their courage inspired a new generation of suffragists, including Carrie Chapment Catt, Maud Wood Park, Lucy Burns, and Alice Paul, and Harriott E. Blatch, who would not allow themselves to be silenced despite harassment and arrest. Their efforts resonated nationwide, and in 1920 they achieved their goal: political equality for women.

We must not forget their struggle or undervalue their achievement. The 19th amendment makes for a more equitable society and for a more truly representative government. In fact, the number of women serving in national, State and local elected office has steadily increased. The 109th Congress has 83 female Members, including House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Leader Pelosi is a role model for all those aspiring to public service, and I am hopeful and confident that in my lifetime there will be full parity between men and women in this legislative institution.

Commemorating these brave suffragists reminds us of the hard fight for gender equality and the ongoing struggle today. Women continue to face discrimination in the workplace, where women make less money and are promoted less frequently. In government, women, despite great gains, are underrepresented in every branch and at every level.

By passing this resolution, the House not only honors the women who won passage of the 19th amendment, but it also sends a clear message that we are committed to eliminating the inequalities that women face today. I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 59.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain why I was not present during votes on July 25 and July 26, 2005 during the first session of the 109th Congress. Due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commissioner Anthony Principi's visit to the Reno Air Guard and Hawthorne Army Depot, I was unable to return to Washington, DC for votes.

I first would like to explain how I would have voted on July 25, 2005 during rollcall votes Nos. 417, 418, and 419. The first vote was on H.J. Res. 59, the second was H. Con. Res. 181 and the third was H. Res. 376. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``yea'' on these rollcall votes.

If present on July 26, 2005, I would have also voted during rollcall votes Nos. 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, and 431.

The first series of rollcall votes Nos. 420, 421, 422, and 423 were on H.R. 3200, H.R. 3283, a Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2361, and H.R. 2977. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``yea'' on these rollcall votes.

The second series of rollcall votes Nos. 424, 425, 426, and 427 were on the Kind of Wisconsin Substitute Amendment on H.R. 525, a Motion to Recommit with Instructions on H.R. 525, Final Passage of H.R. 525, and finally on H.R. 2894. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall votes Nos. 424 and 425, but would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 426 and 427.

The third series of rollcall votes, Nos. 428, 429, 430, and 431 were on the Pence of Indiana Amendment to H.R. 22, the Flake of Arizona Amendment to H.R. 22, a vote on the Final Passage of H.R. 22 and finally a vote on H.R. 3339. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall votes Nos. 428 and 429, but would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 430 and 431.

Thank you for your time and careful consideration of this important matter.