Whereas Bella Savitsky Abzug was born in New York City on July 24, 1920, and passed away on March 31, 1998; Whereas Bella Abzug was elected to represent New York’s 19th Congressional District in the House of Representatives in 1970 and became one of only 13 women serving in the House during the 92d Congress; Whereas Bella Abzug served three terms in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977, where she was a member of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation; Whereas Bella Abzug introduced a joint resolution, H.J. Res. 52, to designate August 26 as Women’s Equality Day, which was signed into law on August 16, 1973, by President Richard Nixon; Whereas, in 1975, Bella Abzug introduced legislation, H.R. 9924, to organize and convene a National Women’s Conference, which was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on December 23, 1975; Whereas Congresswoman Bella Abzug chaired the historic 1977 National Women’s Conference, which was attended by 2,000 delegates, who established a National Plan of Action to address the concerns of American women and presented the plan to President Jimmy Carter and the Congress in 1977; Whereas Bella Abzug introduced the first legislation, H.R. 15692, the Equality Act, to prohibit discrimination on account of sex, marital status, or sexual orientation; Whereas Bella Abzug cosponsored landmark legislation to guarantee equal rights for all American citizens regardless of gender, H.J. Res. 208, the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed by Congress, received the endorsement of President Richard Nixon, and was ratified by 22 States in the first year following its passage; Whereas, in July 1971, Bella Abzug cofounded the National Women’s Political Caucus, an organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in politics and public service