Blackburn, Baldwin Introduce Legislation To Construct Women’s Suffrage National Monument On National Mall

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) introduced the Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act, to guarantee that the Women's Suffrage National Monument is located on the National Mall. In 2020, legislation passed to create the Women's Suffrage National Monument on federal lands in Washington, D.C., but it did not authorize construction of the monument on the National Mall. Under the Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act of 2003, an act of Congress is required to place a new commemorative work or visitor center on the National Mall.

The monument will memorialize the women's suffrage movement and the passage of the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. The 19^th Amendment was first ratified in Wisconsin and last ratified in Tennessee.

"Tennessee has played a critical role in the women's suffrage fight since we became the 36th and final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment - granting women the right to vote. I'm pleased to join Senator Baldwin in this bipartisan legislation that will ensure the Women's Suffrage Monument is given its rightful place on the National Mall and honors the work of Susan B. Anthony and the trailblazers who fought ardently for future generations of women," said Senator Blackburn.

"Just over a century ago, the United States finally welcomed women into our democracy and extended to them its most fundamental right - the right to vote. But we know that this milestone was only accomplished through a decades-long fight led by women of all backgrounds joining arm and arm, including women of color who fought alongside their white counterparts even though many of whom were still denied the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified," said Senator Baldwin. "I am honored to introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure that the monument that honors the suffragettes and fight for women's right to vote is housed in its rightful place for the world to see, the National Mall. The National Mall is home to memorials for those who fought for our freedom, Presidents who defined our country, and the seat of our government, and it is only fitting that it also houses the Women's Suffrage National Monument. Wisconsin has been at the forefront of the fight for women's rights and I am proud to be continuing this long and proud tradition."

The text of the legislation can be found here.