Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, the Virginia General Assembly voted to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), setting the state on the path to become the 38th and final state necessary to ratify the ERA to the Constitution. After the vote, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Subcommittee Chair on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Chair Steve Cohen (D-TN) released the following statements:

"Nearly 100 years after it was originally written, the Equal Rights Amendment is finally on its way to becoming the 28th Amendment to our Constitution," said Rep. Nadler. "Virginia’s historic vote to become the 38th state to ratify the ERA sends a clear message that this issue is as pertinent as ever, and that millions of men and women will not rest until women are guaranteed equal rights under the law. Despite all the obstacles in our current political and social climate, our nation is now one step closer to truly fulfilling its commitment to inclusion and equality opportunity for all. We will not rest until the ERA becomes a reality."

"We must continually strive to make the United States a more just, equitable, and democratic nation," said Rep. Cohen. "Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment is a long time in coming and an exciting development. I am proud to have chaired a hearing on this issue before the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and look forward to the day we officially add the Equal Rights Amendment as 28th Amendment to our Constitution."

On November 13, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee successfully passed H.J.Res 79, a joint resolution which would remove the deadline for ratification of the ERA—set by Congress in 1972 and extended in 1978—clearing the path for ratifying the ERA and enshrining equality for both sexes into the U.S. Constitution. The legislation awaits a vote in the full House for a vote before heading to the Senate.