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Ratification Bills Introduced

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Ratification Bills Introduction Day – March 5th, 2019

Bills to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment were introduced in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly on March 5th. ERA-NC Alliance organized a statewide presence in Raleigh, with ERA advocates from the coast to the mountains on hand to witness the introductions and to encourage every single member of the General Assembly to sign on as a co-sponsor. A panel discussion was held in the NCGA Equal Rights Caucus featuring Eleanor Smeal of the Feminist Majority, and Carol Jenkins and Bettina Hager of the ERA Coalition, with ERA-NC Alliance co-president Joanna Wade as moderator. That was followed by a press conference with the bills’ primary sponsors and many co-sponsors present. A mobile billboard organized by Alliance Lead Organization, League of Women Voters of NC, also circled the capitol throughout the day!

Press Conference video:

Equal Rights Caucus video:

Video courtesy of Brave Lens Films, Inc.

 

Make Calls on March 5th

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ERA bills will be introduced in the NCGA on March 5th, 2019
Can’t make it to the NC General Assembly on March 5th but want to be part of the action?

You can contact the legislators representing your county to let them know that you strongly support the Equal Rights Amendment and expect them to do the same.

Here are some key points to cover (although we hope you will use your own voice, stories, and perspective!):

  • There will never be equal rights in this country until all laws apply to citizens regardless of their sex.
  • The laws we thought might protect women have not been strictly applied.
  • Families’ very economic survival depends on non-discrimination in hiring, paying, promoting, and providing a safe working environment for everyone, including women.
  • North Carolina should be the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
  • The bill to ratify the ERA is being introduced on March 5th. Once introduced, there is a very short time for legislators to sign on as co-sponsors. We urge you to indicate your support as soon as possible. Please visit the NCGA Dashboard to digitally co-sponsor the ERA ratification bills that were filed today (March 5). 
  • If you are on the committee where the bill lands, we urge you to:
    • request a public hearing on the bill
    • pass it out of committee with a favorable report
    • call for this bill to come up for a vote!

Legislators’ individual addresses can be found at www.NCleg.gov, click on ‘District Representation’, ‘Find your legislator’, scroll down to “representation by County”, enter your county, click on the names for both office and home mailing addresses.  An in-person visit is always best, but emails and phone calls also count!

Thank you for joining us in this work!

EVENT: MARCH 5th AT THE NCGA

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: ERA 2019
One more state. Not one more genERAtion!

Still fighting for constitutional equalityNorth Carolina has the historic chance to become the 38th and final state required to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and change the U.S. Constitution. The ERA supports families by helping to combat wage inequities, protect pregnant women in the workplace, and protect against domestic violence and sexual assault.

Senator Floyd B. McKissick Jr. and Representative Carla Cunningham will introduce bills to ratify the ERA in both the NC House and Senate on March 5th, and you’re welcome to join us! (If you can’t join us in Raleigh, scroll down for other ways you can participate!)

EVENT: Women’s History Month: ERA 2019

DATE: Tuesday, March 5

TIME: 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

LOCATION: North Carolina General Assembly, 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh, N.C.

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

  • Advocates to distribute materials to legislators
  • Advocates to serve as a presence in the House and Senate galleries
  • Silent Sentinels in ERA apparel to flank doors of leadership offices and building entrance steps throughout the afternoon.
  • Volunteers to bring signs and fill the lawn and General Assembly.

Join our Facebook event and let us know you’re coming!

Schedule of Events:

  • 12:30 p.m. Advocates gather for instructions on the First Floor in the 1300 quadrant to the left as you enter the NCGA building, Jones Street entrance.
  • 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Press conference in Press Room, 1300 quadrant, to announce filing of ERA bills.
  • 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Advocates distribute ERA materials to legislators and ask them to co-sponsor bills.
  • 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Advocates may seat themselves in the House and Senate galleries. The presence of ERA Advocates will be announced by legislators from the floor in both chambers.

4:00 p.m. Senate expected to convene

4:45 p.m. House expected to convene

 

Additional Details:

Apparel: White apparel with touches of green or ERA-NC Alliance T-shirts are welcome. Remember to wear the sash you created as part of our #SashTag Challenge! And bring extras. A limited number of white ribbons will be available.

Rules of the legislature: www.ncleg.gov/Files/about/buildingrules.pdf

Rules of special note: No signs on sticks allowed. No oversize signs. In the galleries, no signs or food and beverages at all.

Security: Everyone must pass through security at entrances, front and back of building (LB)

Parking, directions and dining information: www.ncleg.gov/About/Visitorinfo

Please share this invitation with everyone you know! See you there.

#SashTag ChallengeCan’t join us at the General Assembly that day? Here’s how you can still take action!

For those not able to make it to the legislature, there is the #Sashtag Challenge, details linked in message. Excerpt from: http://www.facebook.com/events/575772219555843/

     If you can’t make it to Raleigh, post photos of yourself and your sash on March 5, saying “I support equal rights for all. Ratify the ERA!” #SashTag and #ALLforERA

Also, we have petitions listed on the site that can be sent to the NC Speaker of the House, NC Senate President Pro-tempore, and any legislator that represents one of your members.  https//www.era-nc.org/nc-ratification-petition/

And a postcard that can be sent can be found here: Postcard House Parties https://www.era-nc.org/postcards/

Contact info for legislators and leaders is at:

NC House: http://www.ncleg.gov/House

NC Senate: http://www.ncleg.gov/Senate

NC Speaker of the House: Rep. Tim Moore http://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/339

NC Senate President Pro-Tempore: Phil Berger http://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/64

House Rules Chair: http://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/2

Senate Rules Chair: http://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/SenateStanding/148

Again, we thank you for your support of the ERA!

2018 Candidates Surveys

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The ERA-NC Alliance reached out to EVERY North Carolina candidate running for Congress and the General Assembly this year! We called as many candidates individually as we could, and sent out postcards as well.

A ‘yes’ means the candidate will co-sponsor and vote for the resolution to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Many candidates also returned comments with their survey; you can read their comments in this document.

Candidate Survey Results
NC HOUSE Name Supports ERA?
1 Edward Goodwin Yes
1 Ronald Wesson Yes
2 Darryl Moss Yes
3 T. Lee Horne No
3 Barbara Lee Yes
3 Michael Speciale No
4 DaQuen Love Yes
5 Howard Hunter III Yes
6 Tess Judge Yes
7 Bobbie Richardson Yes
8 Kandie Smith Yes
10 Tracy Blackmon Yes
11 Allison Dahle Yes
11 Travis Groo Yes
12 George Graham Yes
13 Penelope diMaio Yes
14 Isaiah Johnson Yes
16 John Johnson Yes
17 Tom Simmons Yes
19 Marcia Morgan Yes
20 Leslie Cohen Yes
26 Linda Bennett Yes
29 MaryAnn Black Yes
30 Marcia Morey Yes
31 Zack Hawkins Yes
32 Terry Garrison Yes
33 Rosa Gill Yes
33 Anne Murtha Yes
35 Michael Nelson Yes
36 Julie von Haefen Yes
37 Sydney Batch Yes
39 Darren Jackson Yes
40 Joe John Yes
41 Gale Adcock Yes
42 Marvin Lucas Yes
43 John Czajkowski Yes
44 Linda Devore Yes
44 Billy Richardson Yes
45 Albeiro Florez Yes
48 Russell Walker No
49 Cynthia Ball Yes
50 Graig Meyer Yes
52 Lowell Simon Yes
53 Richard Chapman Yes
56 Verla Insko Yes
57 Ashton Clemmons Yes
60 Cecil Brockman Yes
61 Pricey Harrison Yes
62 Martha Shafer Yes
63 Erica McAdoo Yes
66 Justin Miller Yes
68 Richard Foulke Yes
71 Evelyn Terry Yes
74 Terri LeGrand Yes
75 Dan Besse Yes
76 Joe Fowler Yes
76 Harry Warren Yes
77 Bonnie Dawn Clark Yes
78 James Meredith, Jr. Yes
79 Jerry Langley Yes
80 Wendy Sellars Yes
81 Lewie Phillips Yes
82 Aimy Steele Yes
84 Allen Edwards Yes
85 Howard Larsen Yes
86 Tim Barnsback Yes
87 Amanda Bregel Yes
88 Mary Belk Yes
89 Greg Cranford Yes
95 Carla Fassbender Yes
96 Kim Bost Yes
97 Natalie Robertson Yes
98 Christy Clark Yes
99 Nasif Majeed Yes
100 John Autry Yes
101 Carolyn Logan Yes
102 Becky Carney Yes
103 Rachel Hunt Yes
106 Carla Cunningham Yes
109 Susan Maxon Yes
113 Sam Edney Yes
114 Susan Fisher Yes
115 John Ager Yes
116 Brian Turner Yes
117 Gayle Kemp Yes
117 Chuck McGrady Yes
118 Rhonda Cole Schanderel Yes
119 Joe Sam Queen Yes
     
NC SENATE Name  
1 D. Cole Phelps Yes
2 Ginger Garner Yes
2 Tim Harris No
3 Charles Earley Yes
3 Erica Smith-Ingram Yes
4 Jesse Shearin Yes
6 Joseph Webb Yes
7 Barbara Dantonio Yes
8 Dr. David Sink, Jr. Yes
9 Harper Peterson Yes
10 Vernon Ray Moore Yes
11 Albert Pacer Yes
14 Daniel Blue Yes
15 Jay Chaudhuri Yes
16 Wiley Nickel Yes
17 Sam Searcy Yes
19 Kirk Deviere Yes
20 Floyd McKissick, Jr. Yes
22 Mike Woodard Yes
23 Valerie Foushee Yes
24 JD Wooten Yes
25 Helen Probst Mills Yes
28 Gladys Robinson Yes
30 Jen Mangrum Yes
31 John Motsinger, Jr. Yes
40 Joyce Waddell Yes
41 Natasha Marcus Yes
42 Ric Vandett Yes
43 Altriese Price Yes
44 David Lattimore Yes
46 Art Sherwood Yes
47 David Wheeler Yes
48 Norm Bossert Yes
49 Mark Crawford Yes
49 Terry Van Duyn Yes
     
US HOUSE Name  
2 Jeff Matemu Yes
5 DD Adams Yes
6 Ryan Watts Yes
8 Frank McNeill Yes
10 David Brown Yes
11 Phillip Price Yes
 
 

Press Release 6/2/18

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Illinois becomes 37th state to ratify the ERA
Will North Carolina be the 38th?

Durham, NC – On May 30, 2018, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, making it the 37th of 38 states need to guarantee women in the United States full protection under the Constitution.

Efforts have been underway in North Carolina to ratify the ERA as well, with bills introduced in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 sessions. On May 31st, additional ratifying bills were introduced in both the NC House and Senate. Senators Floyd McKissick and Terry Van Duyn are primary sponsors of S782, which explains why the ERA is still viable for ratification today, and allocates $10,000 to educate the public about the act. In the House, Representatives Carla Cunningham, Susan Fisher, Evelyn Terry and Deb Butler are primary sponsors of the companion bill H1072.

Links to new bills:
S782: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/Senate/PDF/S782v1.pdf
H1072: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/House/PDF/H1072v1.pdf

A 2016 poll found nearly universal support (94%) for guaranteeing women equal rights under the Constitution. Nearly 80% of those polled mistakenly believed that was already the case. However, the late Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, made it clear that justices following a constitutionalist philosophy believe that women are not protected under the Constitution, and that the founders did not intend that they be protected under the document.

The ERA-NC Alliance is conducting a statewide educational campaign about the need for the Constitutional amendment, which is anticipated to eventually guarantee equality for men and women under the law and in the workplace, and strengthen protection against gender-based violence.

ERA-NC Alliance Co-Presidents Marena Groll and Roberta Madden are available for interviews.

###

About the ERA-NC Alliance:

The ERA-NC Alliance (www.era-nc.org) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization seeking ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. constitution. Membership is open to individuals and organizations committed to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Lead organizations include the American Association of University Women of NC, Democratic Women of NC, League of Women Voters of NC, NC4ERA, NC Business and Professional Women, NC National Organization for Women, NC Women United, Ratify ERA- NC the Women’s Forum of NC and the YWCA of Asheville. The Alliance operates in direct collaboration with the national ERA Coalition (www.eracoalition.org).

Audio from ERA Press Conference

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NC Senator Floyd McKissick
NC Sen. Floyd McKissick
NC Senator Terry Van Duyn
NC Sen. Terry Van Duyn

This afternoon, ERA ratification bill sponsor, Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. and co-sponsor Terry Van Duyn, took part in a press conference about women’s rights bills filed at the statehouse. Like Illinois Rep. Lou Lang, Senator McKissick has also been a tireless advocate for women’s constitutional equality, introducing the bill year after year, and he has our deepest gratitude!

Senator Van Duyn credits ERA-NC Alliance co-President, Roberta Madden, for showing her that the ERA was still a viable amendment.

This afternoon, ERA ratification bill (S. 782) sponsor, Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. and co-sponsor Terry Van Duyn, took part in a press conference about women’s rights bills filed at the statehouse, moderated by Senator Erica Smith.

The ERA portion of the conference is available for you to listen to below,:

Illinois becomes the 37th!

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Illinois ratified the Equal Rights Amendment by a vote of 72-45 on the evening of May 30th, 2018, becoming the 37th state to ratify!! This means just one more state needs to ratify to get the amendment into the Constitution!

Representative Lou Lang, a longtime ERA advocate, spoke passionately on the floor as the House debated passage of the ratification bill, calling it a no-brainer and an opportunity for Illinois to improve the lives of half the population of the United States. “Is the Illinois House for or against adding 161 million American citizens to the U.S. Constitution where they absolutely belong?” he asked. “A ‘no’ vote is a vote against the right of women in the United States of America.”

Opponents argued that ratification would allow easier access to abortion and that women of color wouldn’t see the same gains as white women.

The Illinois Senate passed the ratification bill on April 12th.

Game On, North Carolina! #OneMoreState!

 

ERA Postcard Drop

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We’re collecting postcards to deliver to the NC House and Senate Rules Committee chairmen urging them to hold a hearing on the ERA ratification bills currently sitting idle in their committees!

Download the cards below (they come 4 to a page, landscape), print them out and invite your friends and family, work colleagues and acquaintances to sign on! We’re collecting the cards and will deliver them en masse to the Chairmen personally in the coming weeks.

Congressional District 10 Action Team leader, Jimmie Cochran Pratt, and ERA-NC Alliance Board Member, Anne Von Brock, recently made a night of it, printing the cards out and getting them ready to distribute!

You can also make phone calls now, we have the phone numbers and suggestions for what to say when you call here: “The NCGA is Back in Session”.

 

New Bern joins municipalities calling for ratification of the ERA!

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photo credit: Jackie O via Flickr

The Board of Aldermen of the City of New Bern is the most recent municipality to pass a resolution urging the General Assembly to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The City of New Bern’s resolution amplifies the voices of even more North Carolina citizens who want the state legislature to take steps toward ensuring the full equality of women and men in the United States Constitution.

After the New Bern Board of Aldermen unanimously passed the resolution, Alderman Jameesha Harris stated, ” I feel it is important that we acknowledge the constitutional rights of women and how it is important that local officials take a lead to make sure state leaders know the desires of constituents, and how great it was that history was made with three women serving on the Board of Aldermen. It was important to me to spearhead this push to have the board vote to adopt the resolution, and it set a tone for the city of New Bern on how things should be done. I am honored to serve with individuals who recognize the importance of the ratification of the ERA.”

“We are so pleased to have received the unanimous support of the Board of Aldermen for the ERA,” said Pat Chylko, President of the Democratic Women of Craven County. “When newly elected Alderman Harris was approached, she responded with enthusiasm.”

New Bern Alderman Sabrina Bengel remarked, “I am honored to be part of this historic moment when three women took their seats as Aldermen for the City of New Bern for the first time in the over 300 year history of our City, and when the New Bern Board of Aldermen unanimously voted for approval of the resolution in support of the ERA.”

“We were pleased and honored to voice our endorsement of this amendment,” said Dana Outlaw, the Mayor of the City of New Bern. “It’s an opportunity to acknowledge the multitude of women who make a great impact in our communities and throughout our country, and to ensure they are afforded equal chances, privileges and treatment. Many thanks to the Democratic Women of Craven County for all the work you do.”

In 1972 a proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed both houses of the U.S. Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. By a 1982 deadline, only 35 of the required 38 states had ratified the ERA. North Carolina was one of the states that failed to ratify the ERA. However, in March 2017, the state of Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the amendment.

North Carolina enjoys enormous support for equal rights for women and men under the Constitution and is becoming a leader in the new movement to ratify the ERA. Bills supporting state ratification were introduced in both the House and Senate in the 2015 and 2017 General Assembly sessions, though they were sent to committees where the chairs refused to hold hearings or take further action. Activists remain undeterred, however, and are continuing to gather evidence of statewide support for the ERA to share with our expanding base of allies within the General Assembly.

For the full list of counties and municipalities that have passed ERA ratification resolutions, please visit www.era-nc.org/counties-and-municipalities.

New Op-Ed on the ERA

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If you haven’t had a chance to read it, this is a great summation of how the ERA – and other important bills – fared at the hands of the NC General Assembly’s Rules Committee this year. Op-Ed written by our co-president, Roberta Madden, in the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper:

“The Deafening Silence on an Equal Rights Amendment”