# Plain Language Summary: Removing the Deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment

This bill removes the time limit for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Here's what that means in practical terms.

The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed addition to the Constitution that would guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. Congress originally proposed it back in 1972 and gave states a deadline of 1979 to ratify it—meaning enough states needed to approve it within that timeframe. That deadline was later extended to 1982, but the amendment still fell short. Since then, a few more states have ratified it, but the question of whether the original deadline still applies has become legally complicated. Some people argue the deadline has passed and the amendment is dead. Others argue that removing the deadline would allow states to continue ratifying it, potentially reaching the number needed for it to become part of the Constitution.

This bill simply eliminates that deadline entirely. If it passes, states could continue voting to ratify the ERA without any time pressure. Supporters believe this gives the amendment a genuine chance to become law if enough states eventually approve it. Critics worry that removing deadlines sets a problematic precedent for how constitutional amendments work, since the amendment process has always included time limits to ensure decisions happen within a reasonable timeframe.

The practical effect is straightforward: it keeps the door open for the ERA to potentially become constitutional law, rather than treating the old deadline as final and permanent.

A joint resolution removing the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Cardin, Benjamin L.

 <p>This joint resolution provides that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, regardless of any time limit that was in the original proposal. </p> <p>The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.</p>