Today, Congressman Chris Pappas voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 17, which expedites the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution.
The ERA, which is supported by 94% of Americans, was drafted to affirm gender equality in this country and create additional avenues of legal recourse for people who face discrimination under the law on the basis of sex. The ERA will also ensure that the Supreme Court applies the same standard of review for sex discrimination cases as it applies to cases of discrimination based on race and national origin.
However the ERA, which passed both Houses of Congress in 1972 has a 7-year time limit in the preamble of the bill, which was later extended to 10 years. In 1982, the ERA fell just three states short of ratification when the time limit expired. New Hampshire was one of the first states to ratify the ERA on March 23, 1972.
"There shouldn't be a timeline on equality," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "That is why today I voted to remove the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment which will ensure that all Americans have the same protections under the law, regardless of their sex. It is time for Congress to put politics aside and remove this arbitrary barrier to the ratification of the ERA."
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