Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution passed last night in the other body, along with my colleagues Senators Inouye, Kennedy, and others, which continues our tribute to Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink in the wake of her untimely passing on September 28, 2002. The resolution honors a remarkable woman and her accomplishments for equal opportunity and education by renaming after her a provision in law commonly known as Title IX that consists of few words but has had incomprehensible and tremendous positive impact on the lives of countless numbers of girls and women in our country. With our combined action, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 will now be known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.

Mr. President, as we honor our colleague, we can also recount some of the milestones in the 30-year history of Title IX and the efforts to establish standards of equal opportunity for women. The progress we as a Nation have made in 30 years has been remarkable, and we have Patsy and a few of her visionary colleagues to thank for the equal opportunities our children enjoy today. In 1970, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor held the first Congressional hearings on sex discrimination in education. At those hearings, Patsy made the following statement, "Discrimination against women in education is one of the most insidious forms of prejudice extant in our nation. Few people realize the extent to which our society is denied full use of our human resources because of this type of discrimination. Most large colleges and universities in the United States routinely impose quotas by sex on the admission of students. Fewer women are admitted than men, and those few women allowed to pursue higher education must have attained exceptional intellectual standing to win admission." She went on to state, "Our nation can no longer afford this system which demoralizes and demeans half of the population and deprives them of the means to participate fully in our society as equal citizens. Lacking the contribution which women are capable of making to human betterment, our nation is the loser so long as this discrimination is allowed to continue."

In April, 1972, Congresswoman Mink introduced the Women's Education Act of 1972. On the day of introduction, on the floor of the other body, she said, "We need the input of every individual to continue the progress we enjoy. All persons, regardless of their sex, must have enough opportunities open so that they can contribute as much to their lives and this society as they can." She further noted that, "it is essential to the existence of our country that sincere and realistic attention to the realignment of our attitudes and educational priorities be made. I suggest that education is the first place to start in a reexamination of our national goals."

On June 23, 1972, Congresswoman Mink, working with Congresswoman Edith Green of Oregon and others on the then Education and Labor Committee, saw their efforts on an important education package come to fruition as the Education Amendments of 1972 were signed into law. Title IX was included in that package. Final regulations for Title IX were issued on June 4, 1975. On June 17, 1997, President Clinton announced that he issued an executive memo directing all appropriate federal agencies to review their Title IX obligations and report their findings within 90 days to the Attorney General. In all, although the reach of Title IX has been felt the most in the athletics arena, the landmark statute has changed attitudes about gender roles in our society and helped to correct inequalities in areas such as educational attainment by women, educator pay, and the wide range of extracurricular activities enjoyed by female students of all ages. Much of this would not have been possible, were it not for the immense vision and determination of Patsy Mink.

Last Friday, I attended a most fitting and moving memorial service for Patsy in Honolulu, Hawaii. I joined the senior Senator from Hawaii and many dignitaries from the other body, as well as many of Hawaii's other distinguished elected officials and thousands of Hawaii residents, in attendance to pay tribute to Patsy Mink. Among the eloquent speakers, University of Hawaii Assistant Athletics Director Marilyn Moniz-Kahoohanohano called herself, "a living example of Mrs. Mink's vision of equality for women." Marilyn recounted how she had just graduated from high school after the passage of Title IX, and the University of Hawaii formed the Rainbow Wahine athletic teams. She recalled, with joy, how she and her team placed second for the national volleyball title and took pictures with Patsy on the steps of the Capitol. Marilyn's powerful words on Friday rang true for many female athletes in Hawaii and around the country, as she said, "Because of you, we can play the game."

Mr. President, I urge the Senate to act quickly on this resolution to honor the groundbreaking efforts of Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink on behalf of countless girls and women of America. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.