House Removes Deadline for States to Pass ERA; Three-Fourths of States Must Ratify ERA to Pass

 The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to remove a deadline for states to ratify the decades-old Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) -- making another attempt at getting the landmark proposal enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the UPI website reports today (March 18, 2021).

Lawmakers voted 222-204 along party lines with four Republicans joining Democrats to remove the deadline for three-fourths of states to ratify the ERA, which would add a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that bans denial of equal rights on the basis of sex. 

After the House voted to remove the deadline, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), who introduced the resolution in January, said that women simply want to be included in the Constitution and have a guarantee of equal rights.