HARTFORD – State Representatives Terrie Wood (R-141), Gail Lavielle (R-143), and fellow House Republican members celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the passage of the 19^th amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States.

The Republican Party played a leading role in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. In 1878, Senator Aaron Sargent (R-California) introduced language in Congress that would become the 19^th Amendment. Sargent’s proposal was not successful in the beginning, but following four decades of rejection by the legislature, the U.S. House of Representative finally passed the resolution on May 21^st, 1919, followed by the U.S. Senate two weeks later on June 4^th – 100 years ago today. It was ratified on August 18^th, 1920 once Tennessee became the 36^th state to sign on. Over 70 percent of the states to ratify the amendment were led by Republican legislatures. Of those states, twelve had already given women the right to vote before the amendment went into effect.

Republicans were also the first major party to advocate for pay equity – a torch carried by Connecticut House Republicans to this very day.

Today, at the state Capitol as the 2019 session draws to an end, women on both sides of the political aisle commemorated this historical day by wearing white.

“Today marks the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s right to vote,” said Rep. Wood. “For decades thousands of women and men fought courageously for this right for all women in our country.  I’m grateful to my mother, grandmother and father for keeping this history and privilege alive while stressing the importance of participating in our democracy by always voting.  Today, I remember with respect and gratitude  all who advocated for this right that we enjoy today.”

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As the mother of three children, I know the time and energy that parenthood demands. I’ve also cared for aging family members and understand the emotional and physical toll it takes. For those working a full-time job, the stress can be overwhelming. While navigating the responsibilities of taking care of children, looking after an ailing family member, or both, we’ve all asked ourselves: How do I balance it all?

Paid family and medical leave (PFML) is a viable solution to this dilemma. Republicans in the House and Senate recently proposed an efficient, sustainable and equitable PFML solution. Unlike the costly state-run program proposed by the Democratic majority (Senate Bill 1), this program would not have involved a 0.5% payroll tax on Connecticut’s workforce.

Employees would have had the option to purchase private sector family and medical leave insurance through new insurance regulations. They would have been able to choose a plan with the appropriate coverage, price and duration that they need. Coverage would be available for caring for grandparents, grandchildren, sibling and spousal-type relationships.

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HARTFORD – State Representative Terrie Wood (R-Darien) was presented with an award on Wednesday from AARP Connecticut Volunteers Peter and Kathy Eder of Darien acknowledging her work advancing policies in 2018 that supported in-home family caregivers of parents, spouses and children with disabilities.

“I am honored to receive this 2018 AARP Caregiving Champion award,” said Rep. Wood, member of the Human Services Committee. “Connecticut’s dedicated caretakers make it possible for their loved ones to live independently in their own home, which greatly improves the quality of life for so many. Anything we can do to help them in their efforts is a worthwhile cause in my book.”

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