On November 13, the U.S. House took a major step in clearing the way for the advancement of the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the Constitution that would offer all Americans equal legal protections regardless of sex. A resolution passed by the Judiciary Committee this week could bring the measure significantly closer to fruition.

The ERA was first passed by the House and Senate in 1972, however, momentum died down for over three decades. The amendment still needs two things to happen in order to move forward: It requires ratification by three-fourths — or 38 — states. And it requires Congress to change the deadline for ratification, which was previously set as 1982.

With Democrats now in control in Virginia, the state is poised to become the 38th state to ratify the ERA. In light of that momentum, House lawmakers are now trying to remove the prior ratification deadline. The Judiciary Committee approved a resolution that would do just that and it’s now up for a vote by the full House, where it’s likely to pass with the Democratic majority.

If this resolution is ultimately approved by the House and the Senate, the measure could potentially become an amendment to the Constitution. What that would guarantee is equal protection under the law for all individuals, a change that could lead to wide-ranging updates to existing policies.

The Senate, too, has its own resolution that would eliminate the deadline needed for its ratification, but it’s currently unclear how the upper chamber plans to handle the measure.

Courtesy of Li Zhou from Vox.  For more information, read the full article here.