Bill Text: AZ HCM2006 | 2014 | Fifty-first Legislature 2nd Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging extension; ratification deadline; ERA
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-29 - Referred to House FFR Committee [HCM2006 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2014-HCM2006-Introduced.html
REFERENCE TITLE: urging extension; ratification deadline; ERA |
State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-first Legislature Second Regular Session 2014
|
HCM 2006 |
|
Introduced by Representatives Steele, Alston, Campbell, Cardenas, Gabaldón, Gallego, Hernández, Quezada, Senators Hobbs, Pancrazi: Representatives Fann, McCune Davis, Mendez, Meyer, Saldate, Townsend, Wheeler, Senators Begay, Tovar
|
A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL
urging the united states congress to remove the ratification deadline for the equal rights amendment to the united states constitution.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
To the Congress of the United States of America:
Your memorialist respectfully represents:
Whereas, a concurrent or joint resolution is adopted by both houses of a bicameral legislature and does not require the signature of the chief executive, and a concurrent resolution is sufficient for a state's ratification of an amendment to the United States Constitution; and
Whereas, the United States Congress adopted the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the so-called Madison Amendment, relating to compensation of members of Congress; and
Whereas, the Madison Amendment was proposed by our first Congress and was only recently ratified by three-fourths of the states, and the Archivist of the United States certified the 27th Amendment on May 18, 1992, or 203 years after it was first proposed; and
Whereas, the founders of our nation, James Madison included, did not favor further restrictions to Article V of the United States Constitution, the amending procedure; and
Whereas, the United States Constitution is harder to amend than any other constitution in history; and
Whereas, the restricting time limit for the Equal Rights Amendment ratification is in the resolving clause and is not a part of the amendment that was proposed by Congress and that has already been ratified by 35 states; and
Whereas, constitutional equality for women and men continues to be a timely issue in the United States and worldwide, and a number of other nations have achieved constitutional equality for their women and men; and
Whereas, since Congress passed a time extension for the Equal Rights Amendment on October 20, 1978, Congress has demonstrated that a time limit in a resolving clause can be disregarded if it is not a part of the proposed amendment; and
Whereas, Congress is in a unique position to judge the tenor of the nation, to be aware of the political, social and economic factors affecting the nation and to be aware of the importance to the nation of the proposed amendment; and
Whereas, if an amendment to the United States Constitution has been proposed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratified by three‑fourths of the state legislatures, it is for Congress to determine the validity of the state ratifications occurring after a time limit in the resolving clause, but not in the amendment itself.
Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:
1. That the United States Congress remove the Equal Rights Amendment ratification deadline on the national level by enacting Senate Joint Resolution 15 and House Joint Resolution 43 as introduced in the 113th Congress.
2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and each Member of Congress of the State of Arizona.