All but one Senate Republican voted today to declare that women are second class citizens and are to be treated unequal under our state Constitution. HB399, the Equal Rights Constitutional Amendment got a vote today on the floor of the Senate after having passed the House by the required 2/3rds margin needed for Constitutional Amendments. The bill needed 14 yes votes to meet that threshold. It got 11.
The only woman Republican Senator was absent. I will resist calling her a traitor to her gender for now, assuming some unspeakable family tragedy or sudden terminal illness caused her treacherous absence. Senator Ernie Lopez voted yes, the only Republican to do so. All Democrats voted yes, because they are humans.
Senator Margaret Rose Henry, one of the bill’s sponsors in the Senate, voted no for procedural reasons so that she can bring it back for another vote if she can somehow convince two or more Republicans to find their humanity. Good luck with that, Margaret Rose.
HN399—Equal Rights.
STATUS – Unclear, it may be brought back since Henry voted no.
HISTORY – Passed House 34-5-0-2. Defeated in the Senate 11-9-1
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 – B.Short, Baumbach, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Bushweller, Briggs King, Carson, D.Short, Ennis, Gray, Hansen, Heffernan, Hensley, J.Johnson, Jaques, K.Williams, Keeley, Kenton, Kowalko, Longhurst, Lopez, Lynn, M.Smith, Marshall, Matthews, McBride, McDowell, Miro, Mitchell, Mulrooney, Osienski, Outten, Paradee, Poore, Potter, Q.Johnson, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, Smyk, Sokola, Spiegelman, Townsend, Viola, Walsh
NO – Bonini, Collins, Delcollo, Dukes, Henry*, Hocker, Lavelle, Lawson, Pettyjohn, Postles, Richardson, Simpson, Yearick, Wilson
ABSENT- Bennett, Hudson, Cloutier
NOT VOTING –
* Procedural vote.