Equal Rights Amendment Home Page

The Equal Rights Amendment

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

This website is a project of the Alice Paul Institute in collaboration with the ERA Task Force of the National Council of Women's Organizations.

Email
era@equalrightsamendment.org

This site was last updated on
11/05/2011.

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The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923 to affirm that women and men have equal rights under the law, is still not part of the U.S. Constitution.

The ERA was passed out of Congress in 1972 and has been ratified by 35 of the necessary 38 states. When three more states vote yes, it is possible that the ERA could become the 28th Amendment. The ERA could also be ratified by restarting the traditional process of passage by a two-thirds majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives, followed by ratification by legislatures in three-quarters (38) of the 50 states.

In these pages, find out about the simple justice of this amendment ... and join the historic effort to achieve equal rights for women and men.

	*See the latest answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the ERA.*
	*Read about ERA history and strategy in "Changed Forever: The League of Women Voters and the Equal Rights Amendment."*
	Hear Roberta Francis, ERA Task Force Chair, National Council of Women's Organizations, discuss the ERA on a one-hour blogcast Sins of Omission (7/6/09) and at an Alice Paul Institute program (3/27/10) at Paulsdale.

The ERA in Congress
112th Session (2011-2012)

On June 22, 2011, ERA ratification bills were introduced in the Senate (S.J.Res. 21) by lead sponsor Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and in the House of Representatives (H.J. Res. 69) by lead sponsor Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

On Mar. 8, 2011, Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced H.J.Res 47, which would remove the ERA’s ratification deadline and make it part of the Constitution when three more states ratify.

The ERA in the States

On Feb. 7, 2011, the Virginia Senate passed a resolution (SJ357) ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. However, the House of Delegates companion bill (HJ640, chief sponsor Del. Mark Sickles) was tabled in Subcommittee #1 (Constitutional) of the Privileges and Elections Committee twice, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 14. No further action can be taken in this legislative session. For more information, contact Diana Egozcue, Virginia NOW President, vanowpresident@hotmail.com.

The Alice Paul Institute, a not-for-profit corporation based in Mount Laurel, NJ, was established in 1984. The API's principal mission is to enhance public awareness of the life and work of Alice Paul, author of the Equal Rights Amendment.

To make a tax-deductible contribution in support of ERA education efforts, please send a check (payable to "API – ERA") to:

Alice Paul Institute
128 Hooton Road
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

The National Council of Women's Organizations is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan network of more than 200 women's organizations, representing more than 10 million members. It was established by leading national women’s organizations in response to the 1982 expiration of the deadline for ERA ratification. The NCWO's ERA Task Force was established in 1999.

The "three-state strategy" for ERA ratification was developed through the efforts of the ERA Summit, a volunteer coalition organized in 1991. Information about ERA campaigns in the unratified states can be found on the website of the ERA Campaign Network.

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"The Equal Rights Amendment: Unfinished Business for the Constitution"

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