PRINTER'S NO. 1876
No. 204 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY KUKOVICH, BELL, BODACK, BOSCOLA, EARLL, HUGHES,
KITCHEN, O'PAKE, ORIE, SCHWARTZ, STACK, TARTAGLIONE,
C. WILLIAMS AND M. WHITE, APRIL 9, 2002
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, APRIL 9, 2002
A RESOLUTION
1 Honoring and recognizing Arline Jolles Lotman, Esquire, on the
2 occasion of the 30th anniversary of her appointment as the
3 first Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on
4 the Status of Women.
5 WHEREAS, Each year the Commonwealth acknowledges and honors
6 "Women's History Month"; and
7 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Commission on the Status of Women
8 was established in 1972 by Executive Order of the Honorable
9 Milton J. Shapp, Governor, and was charged with the
10 responsibility of developing and implementing programs to make
11 sure that all women in Pennsylvania are able to participate
12 equally in the economic, educational, judicial and governmental
13 life of the Commonwealth; and
14 WHEREAS, Arline Jolles Lotman was appointed as the first
15 Executive Director of the commission by the Governor to secure
16 women's legal rights in Pennsylvania pursuant to section 28 of
17 Article I of the Constitution of Pennsylvania which states:
18 Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or
1 abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of
2 the sex of the individual;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Arline Jolles Lotman secured the rights of women in
5 Pennsylvania by her leadership; and
6 WHEREAS, Among her many accomplishments are the following:
7 (1) Equal access to credit in Pennsylvania, and passage
8 of new banking regulations that give women the right to
9 obtain a mortgage in their own name based on their own
10 creditworthiness. This change gained national recognition.
11 (2) The first investigation of health care
12 discrimination against women in the nation. This change is
13 ongoing and has vastly improved health care to women.
14 (3) The first investigation of health care
15 discrimination against minority women in the nation.
16 (4) The landmark end to newspapers' help wanted ads
17 which segregated job opportunities by gender.
18 (5) Promulgation of a directive by the Department of
19 Education ending sex discrimination in the public schools of
20 Pennsylvania in classes, activities, sports, housing and
21 staffing.
22 (6) Passage of the Equal Rights Day Proclamation in
23 Pennsylvania.
24 (7) Ratification by the General Assembly of the proposed
25 Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United
26 States;
27 and
28 WHEREAS, Arline Jolles Lotman, throughout her life as wife,
29 mother, widowed mother, lawyer, teacher, community activist,
30 political participant and public policy author, has provided an
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1 ongoing inspiration and model for the women of this
2 Commonwealth; and
3 WHEREAS, In her constant fight for civil rights for all
4 people she has worked for and made all Pennsylvanians aware of
5 the need for women to take their place as full and equal
6 participants in this Commonwealth; and
7 WHEREAS, Through her skillful advocacy for legislation
8 prohibiting sex discrimination in employment, in public
9 accommodations, in the educational system of the Commonwealth,
10 as the Executive Director and as a distinguished leader in the
11 Philadelphia and Pennsylvania legal community, she has been an
12 agent for change in our policies and laws; therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That the Senate express its deep appreciation to
14 Arline Jolles Lotman for her service to the Commonwealth as the
15 first Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on the
16 Status of Women, for her efforts on behalf of all people in this
17 Commonwealth, for her ongoing commitment to the legal rights of
18 women and for her unique and singular historic contributions to
19 building a better society.
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