UIS Dem's Action Alerts

The Equal Rights Amedment (ERA), affirming the equal application of the U.S. Constitution to both females and males, was written in 1923 by Alice Paul, suffragist leader and founder of the National Woman's Party. She and the NWP considered the ERA to be the next necessary step after the 19th Amendment (Woman Suffrage) in guaranteeing " equal justice under law" to all citizens.

The ERA was introduced into every session of Congress between 1923 and 1972, when it was passed and sent to the states for ratification. The seven-year time limit in the ERA's proposing clause was extended by Congress to June 30, 1982, but at the deadline, the ERA had been ratified by 35 states, leaving it three states short of the 38 required for ratification. It has been reintroduced into every Congress since that time.

In the 107th Congress (2001 - 2002), the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced as S.J. Res. 10 (Sen. Edward Kennedy, MA, chief sponsor) and H.J. Res. 40 (Rep. Carolyn Maloney, NY, chief sponsor). These bills impose no deadline on the ratification process in their proposing clauses. In the 108th Congress (2003 - 2004), Rep. Robert Andrews, NJ, introduced H. Res. 30 stating that once three additional states ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, the House of Representatives shall take any action necessary to verify the ratification of the ERA.

Description provided by equalrightsamendment.org.