2016
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-023
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Roberts and Todd, Aguilar, Baumgardner, Carroll,
       Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Heath, Hill, Hodge,
       Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg,
       Marble, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Newell, Scheffel,
       Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Lawrence and Ginal, Arndt, Becker K.,
       Brown, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso,
       Dore, Duran, Esgar, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Hamner, Joshi, Kagan,
       Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lebsock, Lee, Leonard, Lontine,
       Lundeen, McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Navarro, Nordberg,
       Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Roupe, Ryden,
       Saine, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett,
       Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Wist, Young, Hullinghorst.
       
       
          CONCERNING THE RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL WOMEN'S
       HISTORY MONTH, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,
       DESIGNATING MARCH AS COLORADO WOMEN'S HISTORY
       MONTH. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, American women of every race, class, and ethnic
       background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength
       of our nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways, especially in the
       areas of political and social change; and
       
          WHEREAS, The United States boasts a rich history of women whose
       vast and courageous achievements speak to the sense of excellence and
       potential shared by all Americans; and
       
          WHEREAS, Our country would not be where it is without the
       strength, bravery, insight, and persistence of the women who have come
       before us; and
       
          WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a
       critical economic, cultural, political, and social role in every sphere of the
       life of the nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force,
       working inside and outside of the home as everything from educators to
       astronauts; and
       
          WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing
       their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the
       abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor
       movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements that create
       a more fair and just society for all; and
       
          WHEREAS, Women have not only played a critical economic,
       cultural, and social role in our society, but women have also permanently
       changed the face of American government and politics; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1893, Colorado was the first state to give women the
       right to vote through popular vote, and a year later Colorado was the first
       state to elect women to the state legislature; and
       
          WHEREAS, The first women elected to the Colorado General
       Assembly in 1894 were Clara Cressingham and Frances S. Klock, both
       from Arapahoe County, and Carrie C. Holly from Pueblo County, and
       Carrie C. Holly has the distinction of being the first woman in United
       States history to initiate and get a bill passed; and
       
          WHEREAS, More than 200 women have served in the General
       Assembly since 1913, including Helen R. Robinson, who became the first
       woman to serve in the Colorado Senate, and more than 30 of those
       women have served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, Today, women legislators play a vital role in addressing
       difficult social and economic issues and helping our country and the state
       of Colorado prepare for the future; and
       
          WHEREAS, Colorado again this year has the highest percentage of
       women serving in a state legislature at 42%, while the national percentage
       of women state legislators is 24.6%; and
       
          WHEREAS, Colorado currently has 42 women serving in the General
       Assembly, which is the largest number of women in the legislature in
       Colorado's history; and
       
          WHEREAS, Such contributions and leadership in areas that help
       women improve their lives and the lives of those around them led the
       United Nations, in 1975, to designate March 8 as International Women's
       Day and led the United States Congress, in 1987, to designate the month
       of March as National Women's History Month; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the
       State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Seventieth General Assembly, hereby
       declare the month of March 2016 to be Colorado Women's History Month
       in recognition of the struggles, accomplishments, and contributions of
       American women throughout history.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       each member of Colorado's congressional delegation, Governor John
       Hickenlooper, Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia, Secretary of State Wayne
       Williams, State Treasurer Walker Stapleton, and Attorney General
       Cynthia Coffman.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Bill L. Cadman               Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Effie Ameen                           Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES