Marcy Kaptur: “Thank you. It is just great to be here this evening and to have so many women gathered on the floor--women Members. That…”

“Thank you. It is just great to be here this evening and to have so many women gathered on the floor--women Members. That in itself is historic. As an Ohio Representative, I want to voice my support of your bill, H.R. 863, the National Women's History Commission Act, to study the potential creation of a National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C., on our mall of democracy, our Nation's Mall. I can't thank Carolyn Maloney of New York and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee more on behalf of the people whom I represent. The part of Ohio that I come from has really been the leading region of our State to elevate women to public life. I will enter some of that in the Record this evening, but in a personal way, let me say that, when I first got here in the 1980s, there were 24 women who were serving in the House. {time} 2000 A dear, dear Member from Louisiana, Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, took me and shepherded me through those rather unusual days. I can remember finally being elected to the Appropriations Committee. When I walked in, there were only the two of us. Virginia Smith from Nebraska was there. Virginia was a Republican. That was it. And me. It was just a different experience. It was like you ended up in heaven and you just saw who was there for the first time. Over the years, I befriended many people. In 1995, I wrote a book about the women of Congress. I thought it would be easy. But what I found so difficult was, where were the primary materials?…”