WASHINGTON - During the celebration of Women's History Month, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a resolution to posthumously award Alice Paul the Congressional Gold Medal. Paul, a New Jersey native, led the successful effort to introduce and pass the 19th Amendment and was a tireless advocate of women's rights around the world.

"Alice Paul was a crusader who fought to turn the ideal of American democracy into a reality," Menendez said. "The country that we know today was shaped by her courage, wisdom and foresight, and her influence is palpable to this day. The Congressional Gold Medal is but a mere token of gratitude for her legacy of groundbreaking change in our nation and the impact her fight had on democracies around the world."

"New Jersey has been home to many impressive Americans, but there is a special place in the history of our state for Alice Paul," said Lautenberg. "It is hard to believe a huge portion of the population at one time couldn't vote, but today both women and African Americans carry great sway at the ballot box, and that would not have been possible without the courageous, strong leadership of women like Alice Paul. She and the life she led should be an inspiration for all Americans."

The legislators introduced similar legislation in the 109th Congress and gained support from prominent women's organizations such as the National Council of Women's Organizations, the Alice Paul Institute, the ERA Education Fund, the ERA Campaign Network, the National Women's Party, the Sewell-Belmont House, Business and Professional Women/USA, the National Partnership for Woman & Families and the Equal Rights Alliance, Inc. of Florida. Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) introduced a complimentary bill earlier this year.

Alice Paul is perhaps best known for leading the fight to add the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. The New Jersey native and devout Quaker led one of the first groups to ever picket the White House and later embarked on a three-week hunger strike with her fellow suffragists when they were arrested for their cause.

After the 19th Amendment was ratified, Ms. Paul worked for women's rights around the world. She helped to secure gender equality in the U.N. Charter, helped establish the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and successfully lobbied Congress to include sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She is also the author of the Equal Rights Amendment and worked tirelessly for its passage until her death in 1977. Both senators have co-sponsored the ERA.