On June 10, the House approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 2030) honoring the late Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI). Sponsored by Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), the bill designates a U.S. Postal Service facility in Paia, Maui, Hawaii, as the “Patsy Takemoto Mink Post Office Building.”
Rep. Mink passed away on September 28, 2002. Her congressional career spanned 24 years, beginning in 1964, when she was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. With her election, she became the first woman of color ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Rep. Mink made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1976. She was re-elected to her previous House seat in 1990.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) remembered Rep. Mink as “a devoted public servant and a friend to all who served here in the House.” She added, “Congresswoman Mink was a particular advocate of health, education, and civil rights issues during her tenure in the House; but her career was perhaps best known for her tireless work for gender equality. Congresswoman Mink authored the Women’s Education Equity Act, and she was a coauthor of the original Title IX legislation.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) praised Rep. Mink, saying, “Patsy could have led a comfortable life, away from the rough and tumble world of politics. But as has been said of Eleanor Roosevelt, Patsy had a ‘burdensome conscience.’ She dedicated her life to helping people and challenging our consciences.”
An identical bill (S.1145), sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), has been introduced in the Senate.
