WASHINGTON -- In a bid to revive the Equal Rights Amendment, the House has approved a measure removing a 1982 deadline for state ratification and reopening the process to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex.
Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California, the measure's sponsor, said there is no deadline for equality.
The House approved the resolution on Thursday, sending it to the Senate.
The House vote comes 48 years after Congress first approved the ERA and sent to the states.
Virginia ratified the amendment last month, becoming the 38th and final state needed.
ERA advocates say the amendment will enshrine equality for women into the Constitution, offering stronger protections in sex discrimination cases. Opponents warn it will erode commonsense protections for women and advance abortion access.
