James Norton: “I come this morning as the cochair of the Congressional Women's Caucus. There are now 55 women in the House of…”

“I come this morning as the cochair of the Congressional Women's Caucus. There are now 55 women in the House of Representatives, 55 women strong, a high point and a high number. For 21 years there has been a Congressional Women's Caucus. That caucus has been responsible for the lead of much of the most important family legislation to pass this House, from the Family Medical Leave Act to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Violence Against Women Act. We have normally had a very long legislative agenda with every woman Member putting her piece of legislation in and the caucus embracing all of that legislation. This year, we have decided on a more focused approach. With 55 women in the Congress, we think there should be a number of bills that simply must pass. We have designated 7 must-pass pieces of legislation, and we call them the ``Magnificent 7.'' They have been chosen because they are easily consensus pieces of legislation, even easy pieces of legislation to pass. The focused approach the Women's Caucus has adopted this year is already paying off.”