LWVUS Letter to Congress re ERA ratification

For over fifty years the League has fought for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as part of our mission to secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. This week the League sent a letter to Congress asking members to remove the deadline from the Equal Rights Amendment, so that once and for all the equality of all citizens will be enshrined in our nation’s most precious document, the Constitution. We hope that lawmakers will join this historic legislation and will demonstrate their dedication to promoting an equal future for the women and girls of this country.

Members of Congress

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Member of Congress,

We write on behalf of our more than 500,000 members and supporters and as a century-old voting rights organization with deep investment and interest in how government works and serves its people. For over fifty years the League has fought for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as part of our mission to secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. We have been at the forefront of the fight for equal access to education, employment, and housing because we recognize that inequality hurts everyone. The ERA would ensure that the equality of all citizens is enshrined in our nation’s most precious document, the Constitution.

We are writing to ask the Representative to co-sponsor and support HJ Res 17, the House bill to remove the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment of 1972. The bipartisan bill was passed in the last Congressional session and was introduced by bipartisan co-lead sponsors Representatives Jackie Speier and Tom Reed. Polling conducted by the ERA Coalition shows that equality is something we can all agree on. Their research found that 94% of respondents would support an amendment to the Constitution to guarantee equality for women and men, including 99% of millennials! This near-universal support crosses party lines, reaffirming the bipartisan history of the ERA.

Drafted by Alice Paul, the ERA was first introduced nearly 100 years ago in 1923. The ERA was passed through both houses of Congress in 1972 but fell just three states short of ratification when the time limit expired in 1982. However, with renewed momentum, Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia became the 36th, 37th, and 38th states to sign on, reaching the required threshold just last year. It is past time for the U.S. Constitution to explicitly protect women from discrimination, and Congress can remove any ambiguity surrounding the ERA’s ratification.

We hope that you will join a bipartisan group of legislators and consider co-sponsoring this historic legislation. Congressional support will be key in getting us closer to a mark-up and vote on this bill and will affirm the dedication to promoting an equal future for the women and girls of this country. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Virginia Kase CEO