Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

On January 27, 2022, the House of Representatives announced the introduction of House Resolution 891, a new resolution affirming the validity of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The introduction marked the 2-year anniversary of Virginia’s vote to become the last state needed to ratify the ERA. On this date, the effective date waiting period ended and the Amendment became enforceable.This month, Representative Joe Courtney [CT-2] became the fourth of our five Representatives to the US House to sign on as cosponsor of the legislation.

Why do we need Congress to affirm the validity of the Equal Rights Amendment?

In this League of Women Voters of the United States memo to Congress, Virginia Kase Solomón put it this way:

"Despite the significant legal and legislative advances that have been made in recent decades, women continue to face discrimination on the basis of sex. The symptoms of this systemic discrimination are clear in the ongoing fights against unequal pay, workplace harassment, pregnancy discrimination, domestic violence, and limited access to comprehensive healthcare. It is not enough to treat the symptoms; we must address the root cause of inequality by amending the Constitution.

The ERA has satisfied all requirements set forth in Article V of the Constitution and should be added as the 28th Amendment. In 1972, the ERA was passed through Congress with well over the necessary two-thirds vote and sent to the states. It has been over two years since Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment as the last necessary state to meet the ¾ state ratification requirement. The effective waiting period has now come to an end and the Amendment is enforceable."

Click HERE for more information about House Resolution 891 from the ERA Coalition.

Is your congressperson a cosponsor of House Resolution 891?

The League of Women Voters of Connecticut wants to see all members of our Connecticut delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives as cosponsors of House Resolution 891. As of April 14, the following US Representatives have signed on:

• Rep. John Larson [CT-1]
• Rep. Joe Courtney [CT-2]
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro [CT-3]
• Rep. Jahan Hayes [CT-5]

Find out who your US Congressperson is using the Find Your Legislators tool and then find their contact information in our Directory of Connecticut’s Federal and State Elected Officials 2021-2022.