Jim Cooper joins Congressional Dems in push to revive Equal Rights Amendment

From Congressman Jim Cooper - Following the Democratic sweep in Virginia’s state house, Congressional Democrats are reviving their push to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, known as the E.R.A. The E.R.A. was one state short of the 38 needed for ratification when the deadline passed in 1982. But House Democrats plan to mark up a bill that would eliminate the deadline for states to adopt the amendment, clearing the way for Virginia to become that final state.

The E.R.A. would amend the U.S. Constitution to bar discrimination on the basis of sex.  It would bolster pay equity, domestic violence protections and pregnancy discrimination protections for women. It could also affect men by guaranteeing paid paternity leave equal to maternity leave. But there is a question of whether Congress, with the Republican-led Senate, will actually void the ratification deadline or whether the date was ever enforceable to begin with. Another potential problem is that legislators in five states, including Tennessee, have voted to rescind their ratifications in the past.

+Jim is a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 38, which would strike the arbitrary deadline in the original constitutional amendment.

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