Warner, Kaine Praise General Assembly Passage of Equal Rights Amendment
~ In a historic vote, Virginia steps forward as the final state needed to add amendment to the Constitution ~
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today released the following statement after the General Assembly passed a historic resolution to make Virginia the final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):
“It’s about time for women’s equal rights to be explicitly declared in our Constitution and we’re thrilled that Virginia will be the last state necessary to move this effort towards the finish line,” said the Senators. “Ratifying the ERA not only honors the work of all those who dedicated their lives to fighting for women’s equality, but also enhances our legal ability to fight future instances of gender-based discrimination throughout the country. We applaud Senator McClellan, Senator Locke, and Delegate Carroll Foy for their work on this resolution, and commend every advocate and activist across Virginia who has been a part of this important movement.”
A proposed constitutional amendment must be ratified by 38 states in order to be eligible to become part of the Constitution. This resolution makes Virginia the 38th state needed to guarantee women equal rights in the Constitution.
The ERA reads as follows:
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 amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
In November, Sens. Warner and Kaine joined Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in sponsoring a bipartisan Senate resolution to immediately remove the ratification deadline for the ERA and eliminate any ambiguity that may exist at the federal level.
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