KWAME DELIVERS FOR THE ERA!
By Joanna Williams
Good news, Bad news and Great news on the ERA!
Good news:
- The ERA is already our 28th Amendment because first, Congress passed the ERA proposal in 1972 and second because ¾ of the states (38) have ratified it.
Bad news:
- The Biden White House has not officially recognized the ERA as our 28th Amendment and in fact has fought the required publication of the Amendment by the US archivist.
- The failure of the Biden administration to recognize the Amendment does not impact its legal validity but does have serious consequences. For example Congress has not passed laws to implement the Amendment, the judiciary has ignored the Amendment in its legal decisions and the states have not updated their laws to take it into account. Finally, we, the people, have not been informed that the Amendment is in force.
Great news:
- Illinois is taking action!
- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has sued to force publication of the ERA.
- The Illinois congressional delegation strongly supports the ERA and in the Senate, Sen. Durbin chaired a judiciary hearing on a bipartisan joint resolution which affirms the ERA as our 28th
- In the Illinois House, HJR0020 has been introduced affirming the ERA as our 28th
- Many Illinois organizations and individuals are also national leaders advocating for the Amendment’s official recognition.
THANKS ILLINOIS FOR LEADING THE WAY ON THE ERA!