With the 38-State Threshold for Ratification Met, Resolution Takes Critical Step Toward Enshrining Gender Equality in Constitution

Resolution Text

WASHINGTON – Today on Equal Pay Day, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with Congresswomen Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), and Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), reintroduced their bicameral resolution to overcome a significant obstacle to the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This resolution would remove an arbitrary deadline set by Congress in 1972, affirming the ERA as the 28th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.

“For centuries, women – particularly women of color and LGBTQ+ folks – have been treated as less than – less deserving of pay, less protected by law, less free to show up as our authentic selves in a world that constantly pushes us down,” said Rep. Pressley. “By enshrining the ERA into law, we are taking the necessary step to center our most vulnerable and marginalized communities, close the gender wage gap, combat sex discrimination, reduce gender-based violence, ensure freedom over our bodies, and more. The time is now to affirm gender equality once and for all.”

“The state of Alaska ratified the ERA and amended the State Constitution in 1972, and that is a legacy I am proud to continue advocating for at the federal level,” said Senator Murkowski. “It is past time for the equal rights of women to be guaranteed in the United States Constitution, and I will continue to advocate for the passage of this resolution until that is achieved.”

“I am proud that Hawaii was the first state to ratify the ERA, but we must finally amend the Constitution to ensure that the next generation of women are guaranteed equal rights,” said Senator Hirono. “With the reintroduction of this resolution, we reaffirm our commitment to fighting for equal opportunity and equal rights for all. It has been over a century-long fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and we won’t stop until gender equity is enshrined in the Constitution.”

“Women throughout history have fought tirelessly against sexism and inequality, refusing to accept a world that denied them their full rights. Their courage paved the way for progress—but the fight is far from over. We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Mazie Hirono, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley in reintroducing this important resolution, recognizing the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. This Women’s History Month we renew our commitment to the pursuit of true gender equality. The women who came before us didn’t give up, neither will we,” said Zakiya Thomas, President & CEO, ERA Coalition.

“The Equal Rights Amendment is a short yet powerful declaration — ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex,’” Congresswoman Dean said. “Words matter—and we must be explicit in our Constitution to ensure that equality is a reality for every person in our nation. I’m grateful for Congresswoman Pressley’s leadership in this century-long fight and in the enduring legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chislom and others before us. We must expand the mission of the 19th Amendment and fulfill the promise of the ERA.”

“When I was 27, I represented my state at the National Women’s Conference in Houston—and I still have the ERA pin I wore that day. I’ve kept it all these years because the fight isn’t over. Two years ago, I went to Seneca Falls and met with the next generation of activists. Let me tell you—they are just as committed, just as fearless, as I was back then. And like me, they’re still waiting for this country to guarantee women the same constitutional protections as men,” said Congresswoman Garcia. “Those fighting against the ERA are the same ones who fear powerful women—the ones who pay us less, promote us less, and try to silence us. It’s long overdue to make the ERA the 28th Amendment of the Constitution. I stand today for justice, for fairness, and for future generations of women and girls who deserve fairness, justice, and equality of opportunities.”

“There is no deadline for equal rights,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “The United States Congress and the required number of states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, which is over 100 years in the making. An arbitrary deadline will not stop progress on equal rights. Now is the time for Congress to pass this resolution to ensure that we enshrine equal protections for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and grandmothers who have championed this cause.”

“Generations of women, especially women of color, have relentlessly fought for equal rights in a system that has long denied them fairness under the law — and that fight is far from over,” said Rep. McClellan. “I led the fight in Virginia to make our Commonwealth the final state needed to ratify the ERA, taking a stand on the right side of history. Now, we must finish the job by enshrining gender equality in the Constitution once and for all.”

The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced 100 years ago to codify gender equality. Since 1923, the constitutional amendment was introduced in every session of Congress until it passed in 1972 in both the House and Senate. Congress then placed an arbitrary seven-year deadline on the ratification process before extending the deadline to 1982, but only 35 ratified the ERA before the arbitrary deadline.  However, with the recent ratifications of the ERA by Nevada in 2017, Illinois in 2018 and Virginia in 2020, the 38 states needed for certification of the ERA to be become the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has now been reached.

Ratifying the ERA, which states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex”, would 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.

As the 28th Amendment, the ERA would serve as a new tool—for Congress, for federal agencies, and in the courts—to advance equality in the fields of workforce and pay, pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, reproductive autonomy, and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. Enshrining this protection in our Constitution also ensures enduring protections for all Americans across the country.

It would also signal to the courts that they should apply a more rigorous level of review to laws and government policies that discriminate on the basis of sex, making it more likely for them to be struck down.

Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), led H.J.Res.25 in the 118^th Congress, a joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the ERA and take a critical step toward enshrining gender equality in the United States Constitution.

Text of the resolution is available here.

• In January 2025, Rep. Pressley issued a statement commending President Biden for declaring that the ERA is the law of the land and urging the Archivist of the United States to publish the ERA as the 28^th Amendment to the Constitution.
• In December 2024, Rep. Pressley Rep. Pressley and former Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) led over 120 colleagues on a letter urging the President to Publish the ERA.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues issued a statement on the one-year anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment’s introduction.
• In December 2023, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment in the Senate, Rep. Pressley (MA-07) and Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) hosted a Centennial Reception Exhibit at the Library of Congress. 
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Cori Bush commemorated July 21, 2023 as the 100th anniversary of when the Equal Rights Amendment was first unveiled.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley led her colleagues in filing a “discharge petition” that could compel the House to hold a vote on H.J. Res. 25, her joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the ERA and enshrine it as the 28^th Amendment.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley joined Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in unveiling a resolution recognizing the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28^th Amendment to the Constitution.
• In June 2023, during Pride Month, a coalition of LGBTQ+ grassroots organizations expressed support for H.J.Res. 25, a bicameral joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley and the Congressional Caucus on the Equal Rights Amendment rallied behind the Senate’s efforts to bring the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to a vote. Later that day, Rep. Pressley responded to the failed passage on the House Floor.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) led their colleagues in launching the first-ever Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In March 2023 ahead of the ERA Caucus launch, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful House floor speech commemorating the legacy and contributions of Black women at the forefront of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In March 2023, on the House floor, Rep. Pressley honored the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her contributions as a legislator, including her advocacy to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In February 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Chairwoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) and the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued a statement applauding the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley and Sen. Cardin led their colleagues in introducing a bicameral, joint resolution to remove the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the ERA and recognize the amendment as a valid part of the Constitution.

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