IL House Vote on ERA Ratification Pending

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Nov. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) advocates from across the country will gather to stand in solidarity at the statehouse in Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, November 19, 2014. They will call on the Illinois General Assembly members to do some 21^st century history making by showing up for work on Thursday, November 20, 2014 to vote yes to ratify the ERA. Advocates are working to acquire enough yes votes to ratify the amendment, which will result in a 32-year shift in the dynamics of the fight for equal rights in America. Once ratified, the ERA which is a civil rights issue will outlaw discrimination based on sex and will result in equal pay for equal work.

Dr. Alice Paul, a suffragist, who led the successful fight to ratify the 19^th Amendment giving women the right to vote, warned “We shall not be safe until the principle of equality is written in the framework of our government.” Ms. Paul, a Republican, authored the ERA and the Republican Party introduced it to Congress in 1923.Congress passed the ERA in March 1972, with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers. As required by law, the amendment went to the state legislatures for ratification.

By 1982, 35 of the 38 states had ratified when the amendment failed to pass the Illinois General Assembly. Congress, stalling it for over three decades, placed an arbitrary ratification deadline on the amendment.In the last few years an organic grassroots movement developed across the nation creating a new surge in ERA supporters and organizations. At the center of this rejuvenated movement is the two-pronged 3-state strategy to ratify the ERA, which includes removing the federal ratification deadline and ratifying 3 more states.

“The Illinois resolution's chief sponsor in the Democrat-controlled House, Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang — who said he was close to securing the 71 votes needed for approval — is motivated in part by Illinois' role in the ERA drama of the 1970s. Back then, the legislature's failure to ratify the amendment was a crucial blow to the national campaign.” Crary, David, “90 Years On, The Fight For The Equal Rights Amendment Continues.” Huffington Post, 10 August 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/10/equal-rights-amendment_n_5666080.html

The Illinois Senate voted to ratify the ERA with overwhelming bi-partisan support (39-11) during Memorial Day weekend this year. A win in the Illinois General Assembly will result in focusing efforts to ratify in two more states. Once they are ratified and the arbitrary deadline set on the amendment in 1972 is removed, women and girls will become equal citizens for the first time in the history of the United States. Join us on the ground in Springfield or on the Internet during our social media events.

For For more information on the Equal Rights Amendment visit

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ERA 3 State Strategy Issue Team: http://www.pdamerica.org/issues/era-news

The Equal Rights Amendment Unfinished Business for the Constitution http://www.equalrightsamendment.org