FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 55

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES WALSH (Sponsor), STORCH, OXFORD, JONES (63), KRATKY, NASHEED, WALTON GRAY, KIRKTON, PACE, ENGLUND, SCHOEMEHL, MEINERS, LOW, McCLANAHAN, McNEIL, YAEGER, SCHUPP, BRINGER, CHAPPELLE-NADAL, CURLS, HARRIS, LAMPE, STILL, FISCHER (107), LIESE, HUMMEL, LeBLANC, SCHIEFFER, BROWN (73) AND WEBBER (Co-sponsors).

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            Whereas, it is the role of government to examine the circumstances that contribute to discrimination, inequality, and economic hardship faced by women throughout the individual states and the nation; and

            Whereas, it is the role of government to establish initiatives and programs that promote equality for women and protect against discrimination of women in all areas of public and private life; and

            Whereas, women in our state and nation continue to face inequalities and discrimination in many areas, including but not limited to the following:

            (1) The United States ranks 71st in the world in the number of women in elected office. In 2009, women make up 17% of Congress and 24% of state legislative office-holders. Women of color make up 4% of Congress and 2% of state legislative office-holders;

            (2) Women earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. African-American women earn 69 cents on the dollar compared to men. Latinas earn 59 cents on the dollar compared to men;

            (3) Of workers earning minimum wage, 68% are women. Of workers earning less than the minimum wage, 69% are women. 19% of women, as compared to 10% of men, have annual family incomes of less than $19,000. Of Fortune 500 CEOs, 2% are women;

            (4) With only 76% of women in the labor force, the United States ranks 6th from the bottom among industrialized nations. Among college-educated women, the United States ranks last among industrialized nations;

            (5) While 57% of men are employed full time, only 38% of women are employed full time. Eight out of ten single-parent families are headed by women, with 28% of people living in female-headed households living below the poverty line;

            (6) There is a continuing decline in mothers' employment largely due to a lack of support for working parents, such as sufficient paid time off, subsidized child care, or flexible working arrangements. There is also discrimination in the labor market specifically against mothers as well as weakness on the demand side of the labor market in areas that have traditionally employed large numbers of women;

            (7) One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. 85% of domestic violence victims are women. The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services;

            (8) Women of color are disproportionately affected by the inequalities women face;

            (9) Gender bias and discrimination remain pervasive in almost all aspects of our culture, including but not limited to the media, family life, the workplace, sports, education, health care, the military, entertainment, and financial matters; and

            Whereas, the establishment of a Presidential Commission on Women, in coordination with the White House Council on Women and Girls, would allow representatives from the states, elected officials of state and local governments, advocates for women, and representatives of nonprofit organizations and community-based organizations to conference, discuss, establish goals, and make findings and recommendations regarding the inequalities and discrimination facing women in the United States:

            Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-fifth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby strongly urge the United States Congress to establish a Presidential Commission on Women for the purpose of addressing the inequalities and discrimination faced by the women of the United States; and

            Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for President Barack Obama, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.

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