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 have attained its greatness 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, critical economic, cultural, political and social roles 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 and in professions from educator to astronaut, yet make up a very small percentage of the executives in charge of Fortune 500 companies each year; and

WHEREAS,  women have played a major role in the defense of our nation, both on and off the battlefield; 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 industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement and other movements that create a more fair and just society for all; and

WHEREAS,  women not only have played critical economic, cultural and social roles in our society but also have permanently changed the face of American government and politics; and

WHEREAS,  Maine has a rich and vibrant history of women in leadership, including Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who was perhaps best known for her contribution to the well-being of the United States and its people with her condemnation of bigotry and injustice wherever she found them; and

WHEREAS,  Senator Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman from Maine to serve in the United States Congress, the first woman in the nation elected to both houses of the United States Congress and the first woman to be placed in nomination for the presidency at a major party's convention; and

WHEREAS,  Maine currently has some of the strongest women leaders in the nation, including Senator Susan Collins, the first woman to run for Maine Governor from a major party, and the recently retired Senator Olympia J. Snowe, the first woman to serve in both chambers of a state legislature and both chambers of the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS,  the Maine Legislature has a distinguished record of women elected to leadership positions, including the Honorable Beverly Daggett, the first female President of the Senate, the Honorable Betheda Edmonds, the first woman to serve 2 terms as President of the Senate and the Honorable Elizabeth Mitchell, the first woman in the United States to have been chosen in a state legislature as both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate; and

WHEREAS,  among the many women who have served in the Maine Legislature are the Honorable Hannah Pingree, the youngest woman to hold the position of Speaker of the House, and the many women who have served as Senate floor leaders, including the Honorable Jane A. Amero, the Honorable Pamela Cahill, the Honorable Nancy Randall Clark, the Honorable Chellie Pingree, the Honorable Sharon Treat, the Honorable Mary Small and the Honorable Carol Weston, and who have served as House floor leaders, including the Honorable Lucia M. Cormier, the Honorable Emily Cain, the Honorable Carol A. Kontos and the Honorable Mary Clark Webster; and

WHEREAS,  women who have served as assistant leaders in the Maine Legislature include the Honorable Minnette Cummings, the Honorable Barbara A. Gill, the Honorable Beverly Bustin-Hatheway, the Honorable Anne Rand, the Honorable Lisa Marrache, the Honorable Debra Plowman, the Honorable Elizabeth D. Moffatt, the Honorable Mary Najarian and the Honorable Anne Haskell; and

WHEREAS,  women currently serving in positions of leadership include the Honorable Dawn Hill as Assistant Senate Minority Leader, the Honorable Sara Gideon as Assistant House Majority Leader and the Honorable Eleanor Espling as Assistant House Minority Leader; and

WHEREAS,  women have served and currently serve in top legislative offices as Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House, including the Honorable May Ross, the first woman elected Secretary of the Senate, the Honorable Joy O'Brien, the longest-serving Secretary of the Senate in Maine's history, the Honorable Heather Priest, the first woman to serve as both Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate in Maine, the Honorable Bertha Johnson, the first woman elected Clerk of the House and the Honorable Millicent MacFarland, the longest-serving female Clerk of the House; and

WHEREAS,  within our state judicial system, Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley is the first woman to serve as Maine's Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court; and

WHEREAS,  the Honorable Janet T. Mills is the first woman to have served as Maine's Attorney General, as well as being a former District Attorney and Legislator; the Honorable Dale McCormick is the first woman to serve as Treasurer of State, as well as being a former Legislator; the Honorable Gail Chase is the first woman to serve as State Auditor, as well as being a former Legislator; Pola Buckley is the current State Auditor; and the Honorable Teresea Hayes is the Treasurer of State as well as being a former Legislator and Assistant House Minority Leader; and

WHEREAS,  we must take every action possible to promote women in leadership so that we can achieve fair representation in our State Government, including recognizing Maine women's contributions to our state history; now, therefore, be it