In celebration of Women’s History Month, Senator Cardin will be joined by United 4 Equality and other supporters of women’s rights to announce this companion legislation to HJ Res 47, Removing the Deadline for Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, introduced earlier this month by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Senator Cardin’s original co-sponsors include Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Senator Tom Harkin (IA).
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed the Senate for the first time on March 22, 1972. Later that year, then-Maryland Delegate Ben Cardin cast his vote to help Maryland become one of the 35 states that would ratify the constitutional amendment before the deadline expired in 1982. Senator Cardin’s joint resolution would remove the 1982 deadline, thus requiring just three more states to ratify the measure. This follows the precedent set in 1992, when the 27th amendment to the Constitution prohibiting immediate Congressional pay raises was ratified after 203 years. Article V of the Constitution contains no time limits for ratification of amendments, and the ERA time limit was contained in a joint resolution and not the actual text of the amendment.
WHAT: Introduction of joint resolution to remove timeline for ERA ratification
WHEN: Thursday, March 22 – 11:00AM
WHERE: 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, Dc
WHO: U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
United 4 Equality
Federally Employed Women
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Women’s Campaign Forum
National Conference on Puerto Rican Women
National Organization for Women
Feminist Majority Foundation
Indian American Leadership Council
Day of the Girl Campaign
Representatives of Nevada’s ERA Coalition
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