March 22, 2018
FROM:
Bonnie Cox, President
Hilary Denk and Heather Cunningham, Issues Co-Chairs
Sharon Alter, ERA Issues Specialist
Please contact your Illinois State Representative to support SJRCA0004, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment on the Equal Rights Amendment. Please call your Illinois state representative before April 10.
Find phone numbers for your legislators at https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
When this proposed ERA went to the states for ratification to the U.S. Constitution, 35 out of the required 38 states ratified the ERA. Illinois has not ratified it.
In March 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the ERA. If Illinois ratifies the ERA, that will be the 37th state with the need for just one more ratifying state to reach the required 38 states.
In order for the Illinois General Assembly to ratify the ERA, there is a required 3/5 majority of the Illinois House plus a 3/5 majority of the Illinois Senate.
The Illinois General Assembly may vote on SJRCA0004 during the second week of April after the election and holiday recess.
WHY IT MATTERS:
The Illinois Constitution has an equal rights clause: "The equal protection of the laws shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex by the State or its units of local government and school districts." (Article I, Section 18)
That clause does not apply to the U.S. government or to other states as the ERA would if it were part of the U.S. Constitution.
LWVUS has known that the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment equal protection clause may not be interpreted to apply regardless of sex. Therefore, LWVUS has consistently supported ratification since 1972 by its position: "The LWVUS supports equal rights for all regardless of sex."
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