Status of the Equal Rights Amendment
You are probably not aware of it, but the Equal Rights Amendment did not die back in the 1980s. It has been brought back to the House of Representatives and to the Senate.
Both the Senate and House versions of the proposed constitutional amendment state that:
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
So, how is the Equal Rights Amendment coming along in Congress? In both the House and in the Senate, the amendment is stuck in the judiciary committees. The House version has been co-sponsored by John Conyers, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. In the Senate, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, has not co-sponsored the proposed amendment, but I have a difficult time believing that he would actually not vote for the ERA and work in its favor.
What can you do to get the Equal Rights Amendment finally passed by both houses of Congress? Call Congress and put the pressure on. The following are the co-sponsors of the proposed amendment in the House and Senate. If you don’t see the names of your two senators and one representative in the House, make a telephone call to urge speedy passage.
Senate:
House of Representatives
[...] at That’s My Congress, they’ve put together an up-to-date list of House and Senate sponsors of the new Equal Rights Amendment – a proposed constitutional amendment to protect Americans from gender-based [...]
Sounds like a great idea. Men should have equal maternity leave to care for their families. Life insurance premiums should be equal. Lastly, if a job requires one to lift a certain amount of weight as a condition of employement, it should apply to all.
[...] In the 110th Congress of 2007-2008, the Equal Rights Amendment never came up for a vote. It was cosponsored by 205 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate, including now-President Barack Obama and now-Vice President Joseph Biden. [...]