House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press conference before the House's vote to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment on Feb. 12. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The House on Thursday voted to eliminate a 1982 deadline for the state ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to ban sex-based discrimination.
Yes, but: Three lawsuits have been filed to date over the ERA, per the Washington Post. The legal battle over the deadline is likely to persist, as the GOP-led Senate is not expected to approve the measure.
- Congress approved the Amendment in 1972, and set a 10-year deadline for three-quarters of the states to ratify the ERA — Virginia helped clear that threshold when it became the 38th state to do so last month.
What they're saying: "With this resolution, we take a giant step toward equality for women, progress for families and a stronger America, because we know when women succeed, America succeeds," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, per the Wall Street Journal.