ERA in the News: JAN 25-31, 2020

THREE STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL FILE LAWSUIT

On Thursday, January 30th, the ERA Coalition's Co-President and CEO Carol Jenkins joined Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring in Washington, D.C., at a press conference to announce landmark civil rights litigation in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.

The lawsuit, filed jointly by Herring, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, names David S. Ferriero, in his official capacity as Archivist of the United States as the defendant. The lawsuit seeks to force Ferriero to recognize Virginia's vote this week to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and certify the measure as part of the Constitution. As the 38th, and final, state necessary for Equal Rights Amendment to ratify to the U.S. Constitution.

It is deeply significant that the Attorneys General of these three states have joined in this lawsuit. Each of these three states ratified the Equal Rights Amendment in recent years, helping to revive this vital legislation and bring renewed focus to the fight to legal and lasting gender equality in the United States. In 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify, and the first to do so since the original deadline expired on June 30, 1982. Nevada was soon followed by Illinois (37th) in 2018, and this week Virginia made history by becoming the 38th state to officially ratify the ERA.

You can read the official statement release by A.G. Herring's office HERE .

You can read the lawsuit HERE.

“Now, Congress must do its part to get it over the finish line.”

In a joint statement released on January 28, 2020, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement in response to Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment on January 27, 2020.

The statement, below, can be found online HERE.

“With Virginia’s historic ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, the state officially becomes the 38th and final state required to make the ERA part of the U.S. Constitution. This decades-long effort is now one step closer to victory and proving that there is no time limit on equality.

“We urge the Archivist to complete the ERA’s certification. Virginia has now passed the baton, so now Congress must do its part to get it over the finish line. We are pleased that in February the House of Representatives will take up legislation to remove any legal ambiguities with the arbitrary ratification deadline set decades ago. Soon thereafter we hope the Senate will take up our bipartisan legislation, S.J. Res. 6, to do the same and enshrine the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex into our Constitution once and for all.”

FLOOR VOTE COMING FOR H.J. RES 79

With the amazing energy following Virginia's official ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, we are turning our full attention to the efforts in Congress to remove the original deadline assigned to the ERA.

Last week, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that the U.S. House of Representatives plans to bring HJ Res 79, the bill to remove the deadline from the ERA, for a vote during the week of February 10th.

The fact that this vote is happening is a testament to the decades of hard work done by the fearless ERA leaders in the legislature - Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), the lead sponsor of the bill, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), a longtime ERA champion, the members of their staff and the countless citizens who have show their support for this legislation.

We will continue to monitor this historic vote, and share updates with you.

UPDATES ON THE RESOLUTIONS IN CONGRESS

H.J. Res 79: Co-Sponsors = 224 (same as last week). View the full resolution HERE.

S.J. Res 6: Co-Sponsors = 41 (same as last week). View the full resolution HERE.

BILLS IN CONGRESS TO REMOVE THE DEADLINE

The ERA Coalition and the Alice Paul Institute are increasing their efforts to advance S.J. Res 6 , which will remove the deadline associated with the Equal Rights Amendment. We urgently encourage you contact the Senators listed below, and your Senator to request their support for the bill.

To see if your Senator has signed on as a co-sponsor, click HERE .

Note: This list was updated 1/24/2020.

CALL TO ACTION

The ERA Coalition is asking for our support to increase pressure on U.S. Senators to advance SJ Res 6 , the legislation that will remove the original deadline from the ERA. Introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (MD), more co-sponsors are needed to advance the bill.

The following Senators have been selected for focused attention. If you are in these states, please call and email the office contacts (info below). Please also share with your friends, family, and colleagues who live in these states so they can also advocate for their Senators to sign onto the bill as co-sponsors.

ALASKA:

Sen. Dan Sulllivan (R)

(202) 224-3004

David Pigue, david_pigue@sullivan.senate.gov

ARIZONA:

Sen. Martha McSally (R)

(202) 224-2235

Pace McMullan, pace_mcmullan@mcsally.senate.gov

COLORADO:

Sen. Cory Gardner (R)

(202) 224-5941

Brian Wanamaker, brian_wanamaker@gardner.senate.gov