Equal Rights Amendment
Legislation | Documents/Reports | Links | Press Releases
Many people today take for granted that equal rights between men and women are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution – and are shocked when they learn that they are not. To this day, the right to vote is the only right guaranteed to the women who make up more than 50% of the population. That is why I have reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), to give women the constitutional protection they need and deserve.
The ERA passed in Congress in 1972, and was sent to the states for ratification. Unfortunately, by the time the allotted deadline had passed in 1982, the ERA was just three states shy of the thirty-eight ratifications necessary for inclusion in the Constitution. I believe the states deserve another chance to pass this historic amendment.
Women have made incredible progress in the past thirty-five years, but unfortunately judicial attitudes can shift, and Congress can repeal existing laws with a simple majority vote. In recent years, there have been efforts to roll back women’s rights in education, health, employment, and even domestic violence. As the great suffragist and author of the ERA Alice Paul said: “We shall not be safe until the principle of equal rights is written into the framework of our government.”
On August 1, 2013, I reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment (H.J.Res 56) in the 113th Congress. The ERA is a constitutional amendment which would prohibit denying or abridging equal rights under law by the United States or any state on account of sex. This critical amendment would guarantee the equal rights of men and women by:
- Clarifying the legal status of sex discrimination for the courts, by making sex a suspect category subject to strict judicial scrutiny, as race, religion, and national origin currently are.
- Guaranteeing equal footing for women in the legal systems of all 50 states.
- Ensuring that government programs and federal resources benefit men and women equally.
Legislation:
08/01/2013 - H.J.RES 56, Equal Rights Amendment [113th Congress]
06/22/2011 - H.J.RES 69, Equal Rights Amendment [112th Congress]
07/24/09 - Text of H.J.Res.61, the Equal Rights Amendment
07/24/09 - Original Cosponsors in the 111th Congress
03/15/05 - H.J.RES.37, Equal Rights Amendment
03/12/03 - H.J.RES.37, Equal Rights Amendment [108th Congress]
03/22/01 - H.J.RES.40, Equal Rights Amendment [107th Congress]
03/24/00 - H.J.RES.41, Equal Rights Amendment [106th Congress]
03/20/97 - H.J.RES.66 - Equal Rights Amendment, [105th Congress]
Documents/Reports
07/24/09 - Facts About the ERA in the 111th Congress
05/01/05 - ERA public Awareness poll
03/01/05 - Statistical Snapshot of American Women
03/01/05 - ERA endorsements
03/01/05 - Constitutional Amendment Process
03/01/05 - Some Facts You Should Know about the ERA
03/01/05 - ERA packet for 109th Congress
02/15/05 - Dear Colleague letter to ERA
08/23/04 - CRS report on ERA: State Provisions
08/19/04 - CRS report on ERA ratification by the states
08/31/04 - Ratification Status in the States and States ERA
03/18/03 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA to Republicans
03/11/03 - ERA packet for 108th Congress
06/25/02 - Dear Colleague on ERA and Wage Gap
05/15/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA and House Leaders
04/30/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA and public opinion
04/26/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA
04/17/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA and Wage Gap
04/17/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA and best states for Women
04/10/02 - Dear Colleague letter on ERA and International Women’s Rights
03/22/01 - National Council of Women’s Organization Statement on ERA
06/03/99 - CRS Report on ERA: State Provisions
Links:
More on Equal Rights Amendment
Washington, DC -- Today, on the 82nd Anniversary of Congress sending the 19th Amendment to states for ratification, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, the author of the woman's equality amendment (ERA), released a state-by-state report of Members of Congress that have yet to co-sponsor the Constitutional Amendment -- despite the fact that the states they represent ratified the ERA in the past, or their home-state constitutions include language almost identical to the federal amendment awaiting approval. The report can be viewed at: www.house.gov/maloney/proerastates.htm
Washington, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney announced that 206 of her colleagues in the House of Representatives have co-sponsored the Women's Equality Amendment, the highest total in any Congress in 20 years. At a bipartisan press conference on Capitol Hill, Maloney said the best gift Congress could give Mother's on Sunday is the gift that keeps on giving - constitutional equality.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) was joined by a bipartisan team of her male colleagues when she introduced The Equal Right Amendment for the 107th Congress. Mrs. Maloney introduced her bill with over 160 original co-sponsors.
NEW YORK - "Seventy-nine years ago today, legions of visionary women, and men, celebrated a hard-fought victory: Constitutional ratification of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment made the right for women to vote in America inalienable. With inspiring momentum, from the 1920's to the present, women's votes have step by step changed the course of our country's history. Since the days of Seneca Falls, women have campaigned for our rights to liberty and happiness, and our campaign will not stop until we pass the Equal Rights Amendment.