On Equal Pay Day, Representative Ayanna Pressley and Senator Lisa Murkowski reintroduced a joint congressional resolution (H.J. Res. 80 / S.J. Res. 38) to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, aiming to eliminate sex-based discrimination.The ERA has a century-long history, first proposed in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972. Despite being ratified by the required three-fourths of states in 2020, the ERA has still not been adopted as the 28th amendment to the Constitution. Once the ERA is enshrined in the Constitution, it will help address numerous gender equality issues like wage gaps, gender-based violence, and reproductive rights. However, there is still ways to go with the Republican opposition remaining strong in Congress.
Compiled from: Kathy Bonk, "ERA Congressional Resolution Introduced on Equal Pay Day,” MS.Magazine, April 1, 2025.