Last year, the General Assembly finally passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the Delaware Constitution, prohibiting any discrimination in Delaware on the basis of gender. However, we still do not have an Amendment to the Delaware Constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin. I know, I can’t believe it either.
I suppose that pretty egregious oversight is based on the thought that such an Amendment to the state constitution is unnecessary and redundant due to the presence of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Indeed, only 15 states have added a provision to their state constitution that prohibits the denial or abridgement of equal rights under the law based on race, color, or national origin.
But if modern Republicans have taught us anything through their actions once in power, it is that they do not think discrimination is a big deal. Indeed, many of them think the real discrimination is the oppression of white people that somehow results when we protect minorities from discrimination. Many of them actually want to protect their right to discriminate rather to to protect others from discrimination. And when these Republicans are in power on the federal level, they actively seek to weaken every possible anti-discrimination federal law or regulation.
Therefore, it falls to the states to protect our rights. So it is time we pass a new constitutional amendment to the Delaware Constitution that protects against discrimination as a result of race, color or national origin.
For this amendment to become law, it must pass both houses of the General Assembly by a two thirds majority vote, twice, in this session and in the 2021-22 session.
WHERE IS SB191 NOW? Senate Executive 2/28/2020
DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS – Brown, McBride, Sturgeon, Dorsey Walker, Minor Brown, Hansen, Lockman, McDowell, Paradee, Sokola, Townsend, Baumbach, Bolden, Chukwuocha, Heffernan, Jaques, K.Johnson
REPUBLICAN SPONSORS – Lopez, Delcollo, Briggs King
- YES VOTES – SENATE – /// HOUSE –
- NO VOTES – SENATE – /// HOUSE –
- ABSENT –
- NOT VOTING –
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