2021: Fitzpatrick Voted To Remove The Deadline For The Equal Rights
Amendment Ratification, Which Would Allow The Proposed Constitutional
Amendment To Be Valid Whenever It Becomes Ratified By Three-Fourths Of
The States. In March 2021, Fitzpatrick voted for a joint resolution
which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "remove the deadline
for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution,
which would state that 'equality of rights under the law shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of
sex.' The ERA was proposed to the states in 1972, with a seven-year
deadline for ratification, which was subsequently extended through June
1982. The joint resolution would make the proposed constitutional
amendment valid as part of the Constitution whenever ratified by
three-fourths of the states." The vote was on passage. The House passed
the joint resolution by a vote of 222-204. The Senate did not take
substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 82,
3/17/21; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/17/21;
Congressional Actions, H.J.Res.
17]
March 2021: A Federal District Judge Ruled That The Deadline To
Ratify The Equal Rights Amendment Had Expired And The Recent
Ratification Of Three States Arrived Too Late. According to CNN,
"A federal district judge on Friday dealt a blow to advocates of the
Equal Rights Amendment in ruling that the deadline to ratify the ERA
'expired long ago' and three states' recent ratifications of the
amendment arrived 'too late to count.'" [CNN,
3/6/21]
January 2020: Virginia, Illinois And Nevada Sued The U.S.
Archivist In An Attempt To Challenge A Justice Department Opinion
That Stated The Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Deadline Expired
Decades Ago And Ensure The Final Adoption Of The Amendment To The
Constitution. According to CNN, "Three attorneys general of states
that recently ratified the Equal Rights Amendment are suing to have
the amendment added to the Constitution, challenging a Justice
Department opinion that the deadline for passage expired decades
ago. In a complaint filed Thursday, the attorneys general of
Virginia, Illinois and Nevada are asking the US District Court in
Washington, DC, to force the archivist of the United States, who
administers the ratification process, to 'carry out his statutory
duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption' of the ERA as
the 28th Amendment to the Constitution." [CNN,
1/30/20]
Supporters Of The Equal Rights Amendment Believed The Federal
Court Ruling Indicated It Was Congress's Duty To Finalize The
Ratification. According to CNN, "Proponents of the ERA believe the
court ruling signaled that it's now up to Congress to validate their
argument that the ERA has already been ratified and should be
published as the Constitution's 28th Amendment." [CNN,
3/17/21]
Opponents Of The Equal Rights Amendment Argued That Congress Could
To Change The Deadline After Decades Since Its Expiration And "Blast
The Vote As A Political Stunt." According to CNN, "opponents say
Congress cannot retroactively change its imposed deadline decades
after it expired and blast the vote as a political stunt." [CNN,
3/17/21]
2021: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Removing The Deadline For
The Equal Rights Amendment Ratification. In March 2021, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the "adoption of the
rule that would provide for House floor consideration of a joint
resolution removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal
rights amendment (H J Res 17) [...] The rule would provide for up to
one hour of debate on each of the five measures." The vote was on the
adoption of the rule. The House adopted the rule by a vote of 216-204.
[House Vote 79, 3/16/21;
Congressional Quarterly,
3/16/21; Congressional Actions,
H.J. Res.
17;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
233]
2021: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against A Resolution That Would
Facilitate The Passage Of Removing The Equal Rights Amendment
Ratification Deadline By A Simple Majority Vote. In March 2021,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the
"adoption of the rule that would provide for [...] automatic
agreement, upon adoption of the rule, to a resolution (H Res 232) that
would require a simple majority affirmative vote in the House for
passage of H J Res 17." The vote was on the adoption of the rule. The
House adopted the rule by a vote of 216-204, thus automatically adopting
the resolution. [House Vote 79,
3/16/21; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/16/21;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
232;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
233]
2021: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Removing The Deadline For
The Equal Rights Amendment Ratification. In March 2021, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the "motion to order
the previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of amendment)
on the rule (H Res 233) that would provide for House floor consideration
of a joint resolution removing the deadline for the ratification of the
equal rights amendment (H J Res 17) [...] The rule would provide for
up to one hour of debate on each of the five measures." The vote was on
a motion to order the previous question. The House agreed to the motion
by a vote of 212-200. [House Vote 78,
3/16/21; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/16/21;
Congressional Actions, H.J. Res.
17;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
233]
2021: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against A Resolution That Would
Facilitate The Passage Of Removing The Equal Rights Amendment
Ratification Deadline By A Simple Majority Vote. In March 2021,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the
"motion to order the previous question (thus ending debate and
possibility of amendment) on the rule (H Res 233) that would provide for
[...] automatic agreement, upon adoption of the rule, to a resolution
(H Res 232) that would require a simple majority affirmative vote in the
House for passage of H J Res 17." The vote was on a motion to order the
previous question. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 212-200.
[House Vote 78, 3/16/21;
Congressional Quarterly,
3/16/21; Congressional Actions,
H.Res.
232;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
233]
2020: Fitzpatrick Voted For Removing The Deadline For Ratification Of
The Equal Rights Amendment To The Constitution. In February 2020,
Fitzpatrick voted for a joint resolution that would, according to
Congressional Quarterly, "remove the deadline for ratification of the
Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which would state that
'equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any State on account of sex.' The ERA was proposed
to the states in 1972, with a seven-year deadline for ratification,
which was subsequently extended through June 1982. The joint resolution
would make the proposed constitutional amendment valid as part of the
Constitution whenever ratified by three-fourths of the states." The vote
was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 232-183. [House
Vote 70, 2/13/20;
Congressional Quarterly,
2/13/20; Congressional Actions,
H.J.Res.79]
The ERA Would Safeguard Women's Rights In The Constitution.
According to Congressional Quarterly, "Democrats say that the ERA
would finally enshrine equal rights for women in the Constitution
and that Congress has the constitutional authority to retroactively
remove the ratification deadline so the amendment can now be added
to the Constitution." [Congressional Quarterly,
2/12/20]
Republicans Opposed The ERA Because They Believed It Would Be Used
To Expand Abortion Rights. According to Congressional Quarterly,
"The ERA is also indivisible from the issue of abortion rights, with
Republicans warning that ratification would lead to expanded use of
abortion and rollbacks of anti-abortion legislation on the state
level. Conservatives argue that because abortions are exclusive to
women, any restrictions on the procedure could be deemed
unconstitutional under the ERA. 'If ratified, the ERA would be used
by pro-abortion groups to undo pro-life legislation and lead to more
abortions and taxpayer funding of abortions,' [Rep. Debbie] Lesko
warned." [Congressional Quarterly,
2/12/20]
The ERA Had Bipartisan Support Until Social Conservatives
Pressured Republicans To Oppose The Amendment In The 1970s.
According to Politico, "For most of its nearly 100-year-history, the
ERA enjoyed bipartisan support, including from Presidents Richard
Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower. But opposition from social
conservatives in the 1970s prompted Republicans to drop it from
their party platform in 1980, and to persuade the last few states
needed to ratify not to do so." [Politico,
2/13/20]