SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 14

(By Senators Boley, Azinger, Baldwin, Beach, Caputo, Clements, Ihlenfeld, Jeffries, Karnes, Lindsay, Martin, Maynard, Nelson, Phillips, Roberts, Romano, Stollings, Swope, Weld, Woelfel, Grady, Plymale, Sypolt, Hamilton, Maroney, Unger, Smith, Trump, and Woodrum)

[Introduced March 5, 2021]

Requesting that the Joint Committee on Government and Finance recognize the historical legacy of West Virginia suffragists through the creation of the West Virginia Women’s Suffrage Memorial, to be located on the Capitol grounds as a permanent reminder of the impact of the suffragists on West Virginia’s past, present, and future.

Whereas, The definition of a suffragist is a person advocating to extend the right to vote to more people and especially women; and

Whereas, West Virginia suffragists worked for decades from the advent of statehood to 1920 to win the vote for women in West Virginia and expand the democratic participation in society of women; and

Whereas, The accomplishments and contributions of women have not been fully recognized in West Virginia; and

Whereas, Their sacrifices for a long, persistent, and heroic struggle are not well-known; and

Whereas, The beautiful grounds of our State Capitol would be a proper place to honor women’s struggle for their rights including the right to vote; and

Whereas, It is fitting that a permanent memorial be established to honor the lives and work of West Virginia suffragists; therefore, be it 

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance recognize the historical legacy of West Virginia suffragists through the creation of the West Virginia Women’s Suffrage Memorial, to be located on the Capitol grounds as a permanent reminder of the impact of the suffragists on West Virginia’s past, present, and future; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the West Virginia Governor shall establish a nine-member commission called the Suffragist Memorial Committee. The committee shall be composed of: One member of the Senate; one member of the House of Delegates; one representative of the Governor’s office; one representative from the Office of the Secretary of State; one representative of the League of Women Voters; one representative of the Kanawha Valley National Organization for Women; one member of the WVU Women’s Studies Program; one member of the Marshall University Women’s Studies Program; and one representative of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the work of the committee will be staffed by the West Virginia Women’s Commission to provide administrative support to organize meetings and record minutes of all meetings; and, be it  

Further Resolved, That meetings will begin in July of 2021 and meet monthly until December 31, 2021. During this time, the committee will consult with the public about the project, research the suffragists active in getting the vote ratified in West Virginia, and choose one prominent suffragist to be honored; and, be it

Further Resolved, That beginning in January 2022, the committee shall consult on cost of the project, begin to solicit funds, and ultimately solicit proposals for creation of a memorial on the Capitol grounds upon approval of the Capitol Grounds Building Authority; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of the resolution to the West Virginia Women’s Commission.