Massachusetts Senate Chamber Needs More Women Now
Massachusetts Senate Wants Women. The next person permanently memorialized in the Massachusetts Senate should be a woman, according to Senate President Karen Spilka. Yup. The Massachusetts Senate’s collection of marble…
Massachusetts Senate Wants Women.
The next person permanently memorialized in the Massachusetts Senate should be a woman, according to Senate President Karen Spilka.
Yup. The Massachusetts Senate’s collection of marble and bronze busts includes ZERO women.
Massachusetts Senate Needs Women
Spilka put "out a call to every Massachusetts resident across the state” to nominate historic women for the honor.
On Friday, Senate President Karen Spilka and Catherine Allgor from the Massachusetts Historical Society revealed a portrait of Abigail Adams, a pioneer for women’s rights in the packed Senate Reading Room in Boston.
Senators, staff, and even Abigail's descendants filled the room, according to the State House News. The Historical Society had generously donated this breathtaking piece, a reproduction of a pastel from 1766.
According to the State House News, Abigail Adams' portrait hangs just over the threshold on the left as visitors cross into the Senate lobby.
Allgor highlighted Abigail Adams' pivotal role as the mastermind behind John Adams’ presidency, serving as his key advisor.
As mentioned earlier, the Senate collection does not honor a single woman with a bust.
Spilka decided it was time for change.
She's calling on all Massachusetts residents to nominate remarkable women deserving of recognition with their own sculptures in the Senate Chamber.
A website is in the works where you can submit your nominations.
A nominee, Spilka said, should be “an influential woman who has made historic contributions to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or any woman of national import who has ties to this state,” the State House News reported.
U.S. Senate Unanimously Votes to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent, Twitter Reacts
The United States Senate, in a unanimous voice vote today (March 15), passed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Per multiple outlets, including Reuters and NBC News, the Sunshine Protection Act stated the change wouldn't begin until 2023 if it's passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill will head to the House, but it's not yet known when a vote on the bill will take place. Reuters, however, did note, "The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the issue this month."
NBC News also noted, "Daylight Saving Time started in the U.S. in 1918 as a way to create more daylight hours during warmer months. It was extended by four weeks starting in 2007. States are not required to follow daylight saving time — Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it."
Making Daylight Saving Time permanent has been a long-debated topic with those in favor citing a number of impacts from how it affects sleeping patterns of children and pets to the slight increase of heart attacks and strokes following the time change.
Once news of the vote began to circulate, "Sunshine Protection Act" became the number one trending topic on Twitter. Here are some notable reactions to the news.
