Rep. Sherrill Votes to Advance Equal Rights Amendment for Women

House approves resolution to remove ratification deadline for constitutional amendment affirming women’s equality under the Constitution

Washington, DC — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted to remove the deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution after Virginia became the 38th and final state needed to certify ratification last month. Representative Sherrill is a co-sponsor of the resolution, H.J.Res. 79, which passed with bipartisan support in the House. Rep. Sherrill continues the proud legacy of New Jersey women who have been at the forefront of the fight for equal rights.

“New Jersey’s Alice Paul authored the Equal Rights Amendment, and I’m proud to cast my vote today to help advance the work she started one hundred years ago,” said Representative Sherrill. “It is time to advance the Equal Rights Amendment and ensure that women have protection under the Constitution to combat pay discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, and sexual and domestic violence.”

The Equal Rights Amendment states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” It would finally affirm women’s equality in our Constitution – enshrining the principle of women’s equality and an explicit prohibition against sex discrimination in the nation’s foundational document.

There is broad support from organizations representing millions of Americans across the country for this resolution and for the Equal Rights Amendment including the ERA Coalition, the National Organization for Women, the YWCA, the League of Women Voters, the National Women’s Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Association of University Women, Feminist Majority, GLAAD, National Association of Women Lawyers, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the Alice Paul Institute, and the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce among others.

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