IA 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. J. RES. 82 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the article of amendment commonly 
known as the ‘‘Equal Rights Amendment’’ has been validly ratified 
and is enforceable as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the United 
States Constitution, and the Archivist of the United States must certify 
and publish the Equal Rights Amendment as the Twenty-Eighth Amend-
ment without delay. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2023 
Ms. BUSH (for herself, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BALINT, 
Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. LOIS 
FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, 
Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. BROWN, 
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. TITUS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. OMAR, Mr. 
RASKIN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. CHU, Ms. 
BROWNLEY, Ms. PORTER, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. 
DESAULNIER, Mr. POCAN, Mr. FROST, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. WILLIAMS 
of Georgia, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. IVEY, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. JA-
COBS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. LEE of Nevada, Ms. 
KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. LIEU, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mrs. 
FOUSHEE, Ms. ESCOBAR, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) submitted the 
following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the article of amend-
ment commonly known as the ‘‘Equal Rights Amend-
ment’’ has been validly ratified and is enforceable as 
the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the United States 
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Constitution, and the Archivist of the United States must 
certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment as the 
Twenty-Eighth Amendment without delay. 
Whereas the Equal Rights Amendment provides an explicit 
constitutional basis for combating sex discrimination and 
provides Congress with authority to enact stronger laws 
to ensure sex equality by adding the following language 
to the United States Constitution: 
‘‘SECTION 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not 
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State 
on account of sex. 
‘‘SECTION 2. The Congress shall have the power to en-
force, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. 
‘‘SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years 
after the date of ratification.’’; 
Whereas Article V provides two requirements for amending 
the United States Constitution, including— 
(1) passage in both Houses of Congress by two- 
thirds of each body; and 
(2) ratification by three-fourths of the States; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed the Equal 
Rights Amendment on October 12, 1971, with a vote of 
354 yeas and 24 nays (with 51 not voting), the Senate 
passed the Equal Rights Amendment on March 22, 1972, 
by a vote of 84 yeas and 8 nays (with 7 not voting), and 
the amendment was sent to the States for ratification; 
Whereas three-fourths of the States have ratified the Equal 
Rights Amendment, the final State necessary, Virginia, 
having ratified on January 27, 2020, including— 
(1) Hawaii (March 22, 1972); 
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(2) New Hampshire (March 23, 1972); 
(3) Delaware (March 23, 1972); 
(4) Iowa (March 24, 1972); 
(5) Idaho (March 24, 1972); 
(6) Kansas (March 28, 1972); 
(7) Nebraska (March 29, 1972); 
(8) Texas (March 30, 1972); 
(9) Tennessee (April 4, 1972); 
(10) Alaska (April 5, 1972); 
(11) Rhode Island (April 14, 1972); 
(12) New Jersey (April 17, 1972); 
(13) Colorado (April 21, 1972); 
(14) West Virginia (April 22, 1972); 
(15) Wisconsin (April 26, 1972); 
(16) New York (May 18, 1972); 
(17) Michigan (May 22, 1972); 
(18) Maryland (May 26, 1972); 
(19) Massachusetts (June 21, 1972); 
(20) Kentucky (June 27, 1972); 
(21) Pennsylvania (September 27, 1972); 
(22) California (November 13, 1972); 
(23) Wyoming (January 26, 1973); 
(24) South Dakota (February 5, 1973); 
(25) Oregon (February 8, 1973); 
(26) Minnesota (February 8, 1973); 
(27) New Mexico (February 28, 1973); 
(28) Vermont (March 1, 1973); 
(29) Connecticut (March 15, 1973); 
(30) Washington (March 22, 1973); 
(31) Maine (January 18, 1974); 
(32) Montana (January 25, 1974); 
(33) Ohio (February 7, 1974); 
(34) North Dakota (February 3, 1975); 
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(35) Indiana (January 18, 1977); 
(36) Nevada (March 22, 2017); 
(37) Illinois (May 30, 2018); and 
(38) Virginia (January 27, 2020); 
Whereas Article V of the United States Constitution does not 
impose a deadline for the ratification of an amendment; 
Whereas the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitu-
tion was approved by two-thirds of each House of Con-
gress and 203 years later it was finally ratified by three- 
fourths of the States; 
Whereas the 27th Amendment was certified and published by 
the Administration of George H.W. Bush as part of the 
United States Constitution; 
Whereas, following publication of the 27th Amendment, Con-
gress moved to affirm it as part of the United States 
Constitution; 
Whereas the 14th Amendment was certified and published as 
part of the United States Constitution in 1868 despite 2 
States purporting to rescind their ratifications; 
Whereas the States that purported to ‘‘rescind’’ their ratifica-
tions of the 14th Amendment (Ohio and New Jersey) 
were counted among the ratifying States; 
Whereas Tennessee attempted to rescind its ratification of 
the 19th Amendment but its attempt was ignored and 
the 19th Amendment was certified and published on Au-
gust 26, 1920; and 
Whereas the Archivist of the United States, once a proposed 
amendment has been adopted according to the provisions 
of the Constitution, has a statutory duty under section 
106b of title 1, United States Code, to certify that the 
proposed amendment has become valid, to all intents and 
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