118th CONGRESS 1st Session |
Honoring the life of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
December 7, 2023
Mr. Warnock (for himself, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Brown, Mr. Budd, Ms. Butler, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Luján, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Risch, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Vance, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Honoring the life of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Whereas Rosalynn Carter was born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith on August 18, 1927, in Plains, Georgia;
Whereas, as a student, Rosalynn Carter excelled in her academic studies, graduating as valedictorian of her class at Plains High School and from Georgia Southwestern College in 1946;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter married James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. on July 7, 1946;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter was married to President Jimmy Carter for 77 years, and together they had 3 sons, 1 daughter, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter served as First Lady of the State of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981;
Whereas, as First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter served as a committed partner to President Carter throughout his presidency, expanding the role of First Lady, sitting in on cabinet meetings, and representing the Carter administration on foreign trips;
Whereas, as First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter advanced mental health care and services for aging individuals, pushing for the establishment of community mental health centers and becoming the second First Lady to testify before Congress when she advocated for the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–398);
Whereas Rosalynn Carter and President Carter, after leaving the White House, founded The Carter Center with the mission of resolving conflict, eradicating disease, and promoting democracy worldwide;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter remained devoted to her mental health work, establishing The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program to reduce the stigma around mental illness and to improve insurance coverage of mental health care;
Whereas, in 1987, Rosalynn Carter founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, in Americus, Georgia, with the mission of providing training and support for family caregivers, recognizing that everyone will be a caregiver or need a caregiver at some point in their lives;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter and President Carter were enthusiastic volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, working on over 4,000 homes in 14 countries during their 35 years of volunteering;
Whereas Rosalynn Carter and President Carter jointly received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999, making them one of few married couples to receive the highest civilian honor in the United States; and
Whereas Rosalynn Carter leaves behind an honorable legacy of humanitarian work and wholehearted commitment to her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) mourns the passing of First Lady Rosalynn Carter and extends its sympathies to her husband, President Carter, and her family; and
(2) honors the life of First Lady Rosalynn Carter and her contributions to the United States of America.