Senators Kennedy & Boxer, Reps. Maloney & Nadler Begin New Push for Women’s Equality Amendment
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Ellie Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, announced the reintroduction of the Women’s Equality Amendment (H.J.Res. 40). The Senators and Members of Congress were joined by leading women’s rights groups at a press conference this afternoon and expressed their commitment to making sure that women finally achieve official equality in America.
The Members also announced plans for hearings on the ERA
in the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties, chaired by Rep. Nadler.
“A bolder effort is clearly needed to finally live up to
our commitment of full equality,” said Senator Kennedy. “The Equal Rights
Amendment alone cannot remedy all discrimination, but it will clearly strengthen
the ongoing efforts of women across the country to obtain equal
treatment.”
Senator Boxer said, “It is time to ensure that the
promises enshrined in our Constitution – justice, fairness, equality – are made
real in the lives of every woman in America.”
“Women’s equality has for too long been a dream
deferred,” said Rep. Maloney. “Women are under-represented in government and
business, earn less than men, and are nearly twice as poor in old age. It is
time to stop stalling and finish what we started 84 years ago. We are tired of
excuses: women and girls in the United States deserve every
opportunity that men have always had. Let's make this the year we ratify the
ERA.”
“A constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure that
the status of women is not subject to changes in politics, but is a protected
right of basic equality,” said Rep. Nadler. “The ERA would proclaim gender
equality as a fundamental principle for our laws, and it is long
overdue."
“In an age when we have women running the House of
Representatives, anchoring network newscasts and making strong bids for the
White House in 2008, some may ask ‘why do we need the Equal Rights Amendment?’
I would say to those asking that question – we need it now more than ever,” said
Rep. Dingell. “While it is true that women have moved into positions of power
and prominence, too many others do not achieve equal pay with male counterparts
for doing the same job – and it is not because of their ability. We must put an
end to this inequity now. I want to thank my good friend, Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney, who has led the charge on trying to pass this important
legislation.”
"We are here today to confront the issue of equal pay
for equal work head on, and to ensure that the American public is aware of the
inequalities that remain in our society," Rep. Woolsey said. "With our first
woman speaker, and with the highest ever number of women currently serving in
Congress, it is time to make history by guaranteeing women equal rights in our
nation's most treasured document, our
Constitution."
An amendment to guarantee equal rights to women has
still never been ratified and added to the U.S. Constitution, even though it was
first introduced in 1923. The ERA passed Congress in 1972 but lapsed in 1982
when it fell three states short of ratification. This year, there are more than
193 original cosponsors of the ERA.
The ERA is intended to ensure equality for women and men
in all areas of society. During the last 30 years, women have made extraordinary
strides toward achieving equality-- but without the ERA, women have often been
denied the ability to seek justice when they have experienced discrimination.
Today, state and federal laws and policies can still perpetuate gender
classifications that keep women from achieving their full potential.
Background
03/15/05 - The Equal Rights Amendment Is
Reintroduced
03/12/03 - 80 Years is Long
Enough!
###
