Norton’s Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act Passes Out of Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her bill to authorize the establishment of a national memorial in honor of the women who worked on the home front during World War II passed out of House Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent today.

The idea behind Norton's bill, the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act, came from D.C. resident Raya Kenney, when she was 13-years-old. Now 17, Raya wanted to honor the 18 million American women who kept the home front running during World War II, performing tasks previously undertaken by men. Norton said that women have largely been ignored in the memorials on federal land in the nation's capital, even though they played key roles in World War II.

"I very much appreciate the bipartisan support for my Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act, especially its consideration in committee during Women's History Month," Norton said. "Thank you, Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) for your expeditious efforts to advance this bill. I look forward to working with the chairman to ensure final passage on the House floor."

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on this bill on December 4, 2019, and the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission expressed its support for the bill after it had a hearing on the bill on February 11, 2020.