Remarks at a Reception Honoring the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, 1975

First of all, let me say that I'm very delighted as President of the United States to welcome you to the White House on behalf of me and Rosalynn and the rest of our family. Rosalynn and Judy and Midge, three members of my family, attended the Houston conference. And they were delighted at the tremendous success that you ensured in bringing to the forefront of American consciousness the determination and competence, idealism, persistence, courage, sound judgment of the women of our Nation.

It was potentially an explosive situation and one that could have brought a great deal of disharmony and discouragement to those who have been in the forefront of the fight for women's rights. But under the superb leadership of Bella Abzug, and with your help, the conference was a complete success.

I want to be sure that I as President and my entire Cabinet, the members of my official and personal family, are successful in keeping the spirit of Houston alive.

I think the most crucial assignment that falls on the shoulders of you and me and all those I named is to ensure the passage of the equal rights amendment, which, as you know, is not going to be easy. [Laughter]

The fervor and the commitment and the success of even a conference so important as the one at Houston is, comparatively speaking, a transient success. Even if we implement through legislative act and through governmental decision all the points that you raised at Houston as goals for accomplishment and fail in the permanent amendment of the United States Constitution, which will guarantee women's rights, our success will not be complete. And I believe that it's necessary for us to redouble our efforts during the coming 12 months.

I have asked my own domestic staff under Stu Eizenstat, working closely with Midge Costanza, with the members of my Cabinet—Juanita Kreps, Pat Harris, Joe Califano, Ray Marshall, and Brock Adams, others have assigned their top people ever since the Houston conference was concluded—to begin implementation of the plan of action which you completed.

We now have a period of 4 months to make a complete report to the Congress about the progress that has been concluded. Without trying to preempt what I know Chairman Bella Abzug will say, we have had some successes already. The Senate has passed a bill relating to pregnancy disability. It's now in the House. We're fighting to get it passed.

In October, I signed a bill to Congress that passed concerning child abuse. I signed a bill against child pornography in February of this year.

We are continuing the $200 million commitment to child care under our Better Jobs and Income Program. We have an additional $600 million for child care asked for in the Congress. Two major reorganization proposals will have a permanent and very profound impact on women's employment.

In the last 12 to 14 months, we've seen the unemployment rate drop two full percentage points in our country. And women have shared their portion of the net increase of 4.1 million new jobs in America. We've never had that big an increase before.

But there's still a dearth of adequate opportunity under the law and administrative regulations, even in the Federal Government.

Under Eleanor Holmes Norton, we hope to completely reorganize the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's work and focus the responsibility for that fine principle under one strong and bold leader.

Another reorganization plan that's now being presented to the Congress is for the change in the civil service laws, which, although very fine in their vision a hundred years ago, have over the years perpetuated a deprivation of women's rights for adequate and equal employment opportunities. And the changes that we have proposed will go a long way toward eliminating that discrepancy.

Under Juanita Kreps, the new census regulations will move to redress the unfairness with which data applied to women to ensure their proper portion of attention from Federal laws, the administration of justice, and the distribution of our Nation's wealth to those who need it most.

I will establish by Executive order a continuing interdepartmental agency group. And I will also establish a continuing committee of women, many of you, to work intimately with the Cabinet officers, the agency heads, the White House staff, and me, personally, to be sure that the superb work that you did at Houston and since Houston will not be lost, but will be implemented completely.

And now I would like to take an opportunity as a great honor for myself to introduce to you my friend and a great chairman, Bella Abzug.