HB399 – Equal Rights Constitutional Amendment

There is no Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution.   And there is no Equal Rights Amendment in the Delaware Constitutional.    When the federal ERA failed in 1982, nearly half of the states across the country passed Equal Rights Amendments to their own state constitutions in order to provide protection against discrimination based on sex.

HB299 is a the first leg in Delaware’s constitutional amendment process.  In Delaware, for a constitutional amendment to succeed, it must pass both houses of the General Assembly by two thirds majority twice, in successive sessions.    It will provide equal protection under the law on the basis of sex.

Last year, HB5, another Equality Amendment, failed by a vote of 24-9-7, where all Republicans either did not vote or voted no, thus killing the bill.

HN399—CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON EQUAL PROTECTION.
SPONSORS: Longhurst, Hansen, Henry, Townsend, Bushweller, Cloutier, Ennis, Lopez, Marshall, McDowell, Poore, Sokola, Walsh, Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Heffernan, Hudson, Jaques, J.Johnson, Q.Johnson, Keeley, Kowalko, Lynn, Mulrooney, Osienski, Paradee, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, M.Smith, Viola, K.Williams
YES VOTES:
NO VOTES:
ABSENT:
NOT VOTING:
HISTORY: House Administration 3/27/18
STATUS: Waiting on consideration in committee