In Congress
ERA Ratification Bills in the 113th Congress (2013-2014)
Two different types of ERA legislation have been introduced in the 2013-2014 session of Congress:
- Traditional legislation to ratify the ERA by the Constitution's Article V ratification process, and
- "Three-state strategy" legislation to remove the time limit on the ERA's ratification process and declare it complete when three-fourths (38) of the states ratify, thereby retaining the existing 35 state ratifications as viable.
Traditional legislation
Sen. Menendez
Senate: Senate Joint Resolution 10 (S.J. Res. 10)
Lead sponsor: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ); 13 co-sponsors
Introduced March 5, 2013; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
Text:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States:
"Article--
"Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
"Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
"Section 3. This article shall take effect 2 years after the date of ratification."
House of Representatives: legislation not yet introduced
"Three-state strategy" legislation
Sen. Cardin
Senate: Senate Joint Resolution 15 (S.J. Res. 15)
Lead sponsor: Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD); 22 co-sponsors,
including lead Republican
co-sponsor Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Introduced May 9, 2013; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Text:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That notwithstanding any time limit contained in House Joint Resolution 208, 92d Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972, the article of amendment proposed to the States in that joint resolution shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States.
Rep. Andrews
Lead sponsor: Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ); 31 co-sponsors
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Text:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That notwithstanding any time limit contained in House Joint Resolution 208, 92d Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972, the article of amendment proposed to the States in that joint resolution shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States.