[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7011]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCTION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2015

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, it has been forty-
three years since Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (also 
known as the Women's Equality Amendment). This historic amendment is 
intended to enshrine in our United States Constitution fundamental 
equality based on sex in all areas of society.
  In 1972, Congress passed the ERA with a measure that it had to be 
ratified by the necessary number of states (38) within 7 years. The 
deadline was ultimately extended an additional three years, but with 
this narrow and arbitrary time limit, the ERA fell just three states 
shy of full ratification when the deadline passed. Other constitutional 
amendments have been afforded much longer for ratification. One example 
is the 27th amendment, concerning Congressional pay raises, which was 
accepted after a 203-year ratification period.
  This Congress, I am joined by my colleague Representative Cynthia 
Lummis in this important bipartisan effort to finally add women to the 
Constitution. It is time for our nation to definitively declare that we 
will not tolerate discrimination against half the population. While we 
have made cracks in the glass ceiling throughout history, we have yet 
to shatter it. We believe that this amendment is far more than a 
symbolic demonstration of equality, but rather would provide 
protections that are vital to the wellbeing and prosperity of women and 
their families.
  The ERA will ensure all citizens have the opportunity to reach their 
full potential. Women and men must have equal rights for a democracy to 
thrive.
  The ERA will put women on equal footing in the legal systems of all 
50 states, particularly in areas where women have historically been 
treated as second-class citizens, including in cases of public 
education, divorce, child custody, domestic violence, and sexual 
assault.
  Passing the ERA will put the full weight of the U.S. Constitution 
behind employment laws relating to the prevention of sex discrimination 
in hiring, firing, promotions, and benefits--especially in the public 
sector.
  Pregnancy discrimination continues to be prevalent in the workforce. 
The ERA can protect women from being harmed by a policy simply because 
she is a woman.
  The 14th amendment is not enough. Only the ERA would provide for 
gender equity and offer an ``overriding guarantee'' of equal protection 
for women.
  The ERA would protect the progress made on women's rights from any 
shifting political trends.
  The ERA will ensure that the rights of American women and girls will 
not be diminished by any Congress or any political trend, but instead 
be preserved as basic rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
  Over the past several decades, legislative efforts have aimed to 
advance the rights of women--but this progress is not irreversible. 
Without the ERA, women have often been denied the ability to seek 
justice when they have experienced discrimination. We have seen that 
constitutional ambiguity on women's rights can have negative 
consequences when cases that affect the lives of women are brought 
before the Supreme Court. Until women's equality is clearly 
acknowledged in our Constitution, half of our population will continue 
to be without constitutionally guaranteed equality. The time is now to 
make women's equality a constitutional reality.
  Our democracy rests on the principle of ``liberty and justice for 
all.'' We need the ERA to ensure that this concept applies equally to 
all.
  I am pleased to introduce this bill with 171 of my bipartisan 
colleagues. I urge my fellow Members of Congress to join in support.

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