It’s been a long drawn out process but lawmakers in Illinois voted this week to ratify an amendment to the US Constitution.
The Senate voted 43 – 12 to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment.
Illinois failed to ratify it years ago when it first came to a vote and the 1982 deadline for approval came and went. But in the era of Me Too, bill sponsor Senator Heather Steans says, women are being heard more than ever.
If the House votes to ratify, Illinois could be the 37th state to approve it. 38 states are needed but Congress would need to approve an extension to the deadline that expired in 1982.
