SJ0028 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0028 LRB101 11383 ALS 56904 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as women's suffrage, and was ratified on August 18, 1920; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, women's suffrage movements began as early as the 1860s; a statute was passed in 1873 giving women the opportunity to run for any school office not created by the Illinois Constitution; women were given the right to vote for school officers in 1891; and

WHEREAS, With the continued work of women's suffrage organizations throughout Illinois led by prominent citizens, including Jane Addams and Ida B. Wells-Barnett, women in Illinois secured the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, Governor Edward Dunne signed the suffrage bill into law on June 26, 1913, giving women the right to vote for President, as well as local officers; this action made Illinois the first state east of the Mississippi River to give women the right to vote for President; and

WHEREAS, In May 1919, United States Representative James Mann of Illinois sponsored the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Susan B. Anthony Woman's Suffrage Amendment, granting women the right to vote in all elections nationwide; and

WHEREAS, On June 4, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, giving women the full right to vote; and

WHEREAS, On June 10, 1919, the Illinois General Assembly voted to make the Land of Lincoln one of the first three states in the nation to ratify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Illinois holds a significant and unique role in the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, It is in the public interest to ensure that this occasion is properly celebrated throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, The Commemorative Medallions Act (15 ILCS 555) provides that the State Treasurer may issue medallions to commemorate popular contemporaneous events of statewide interest; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that the State Treasurer is authorized to issue official commemorative medallions honoring the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State Treasurer shall contract for the production, marketing, distribution, and sale of the medallions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.