The Equal Rights Amendment — which says the government can't deny or limit rights based on sex — was passed by Congress in 1972, but came with a deadline for states to ratify it. Enough states eventually did ratify it, but some did so after the deadline expired. This resolution declares that the amendment is valid and part of the Constitution regardless of that expired time limit. It affects all Americans, since it would formally enshrine sex equality as a constitutional guarantee.
Congressional Summary
This joint resolution provides that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, regardless of any time limit that was in the original proposal. The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-03-24
- Date Added
- 2026-04-06