What you can do...
Social distancing, distance learning, job loss, economic insecurity  ~ these are just a few of the many issues that have become front and center while our world is rocked by the Coronavirus.  

Women are more than 1/2 of the single parent wage earners, 2/3 of minimum wage earners, 2/3 of tip-workers and 2/3 of seniors living in poverty.  Add to that women statistically having a longer life-expectancy and make up a higher number of the population living alone.

What does this mean in the time of a pandemic?

Women in this country statistically make up more than 90% of the nurses in our healthcare system, over 75% of caregivers in our homes and care facilities, as well as make up a significant percent of doctors.  It means that women are at the forefront of the fight and are still not being treated equally under the law in terms of equitable pay, retirement benefits or receiving access to affordable healthcare and childcare.

While our state and national governments are working hard to fight COVID-19, we must remember those who are on the front lines of the war and support them with equal rights under the law.

What can you do to help the ERA?

Contact leadership in the Minnesota and US Senate and tell them to support passage of the Equal Rights Amendment into the US and Minnesota constitutions.  

ACT NOW HERE

What can you do about the virus?

Follow the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the MN Department of Health: 

• keep your distance
• wash your hands
• stay home 

Additional Resources From Our Allies
Here are links to COVID-related resources as provided by some of ERA Minnesota's allies:

Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan:
https://mn.gov/governor/news/

Education Minnesota: 
https://educationminnesota.org/resources/in-the-classroom/Coronavirus

Minnesota AFL-CIO:
https://www.mnaflcio.org/updates/coronavirus-covid-19-information

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE):
https://mape.org/covid-19

Outfront Minnesota:
https://www.outfront.org/

Third Thursdays:
Keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming Virtual Third Thursday events: 
https://www.eramn.org/events.html

​Press Release from ERA Coalition.
For immediate release - January 15, 2020.                                                                                                                                              
Richmond, VA – The ERA Coalition is celebrating an historic victory. The Equal Rights Amendment is about to clear its final Constitutional hurdle as Virginia becomes the 38th state to ratify it, now that both the Senate and the House of Delegates have passed identical bills to be formalized in an upcoming procedural vote. As we mark the 100th anniversary of American women winning the right to vote, we can also celebrate the success of the nearly 100 year-long quest for constitutional equality.

The ERA Coalition was formed in 2014 to work for constitutional equality. Our own polling shows that 94% of Americans support the ERA – and an unprecedented 99% of millennials support it. The message is clear: it is time for women to have equal rights in the Constitution. Women will no longer be subjected to second-class citizenship in the United States.

Despite this overwhelming support, some still seek to deny women equality. We will work closely with Congress to remove any ambiguity or obstacles that opponents argue remain in the way. The Coalition will also monitor the courts to stay current with any litigation concerning the Equal Rights Amendment. We will also continue to work with the 12 remaining unratified states in an effort to secure ratification of the ERA by all fifty states.

It’s an historic day in America. Virginia, with bipartisan support, has now pushed women around the country across the finish line toward equality and freedom from discrimination on account of sex.

This has been an incredible team effort beginning with the three women who co-founded the Coalition: co-president Jessica Neuwirth, Coalition Board Chair Maria Vullo, and Treasurer Liz Young. They have worked alongside our CEO and co-President Carol Jenkins and former chair of the ERA Coalition and current chair of our sister organization Fund for Women’s Equality Chair Marcy Syms. Our gratitude goes out to our amazing board, our D.C. Director Bettina Hager, our legal task force, and our lead organizations and supporters. We thank you all. Today is a day to celebrate.
​##

#ERAMN officers Betty Folliard and Suzann Willhite, will join #VAratifyERA advocates, national affiliates Equal Means Equal & ERA Coalition, and activists from across the country in Richmond, Virginia to help bend the arc of history toward justice and equality in America.  
 
Virginia is the only state in the Confederate South to have voted in a liberal legislature, and now lawsuits are flying into the federal courts on both sides of the argument to determine whether or not to void the artificial deadline that was imposed on the ERA. 
 
“The closer we get to achieving justice & equal rights for women, the more the pushback. Now the Trump* Administration’s Department of Justice has weighed in, issuing an opinion that the ERA deadline is passed. That’s their opinion and their opinion is not binding either in Congress or in the courts,” said Ms. Folliard. “We’re going to Virginia to declare otherwise, because you can’t put a time limit on human rights.”
 
“Congress changed the deadline once already and they have the power to do so again,” said Heather Allison, President of ERAMN. “We have legislation to that affect in both houses of Congress, and in the US House a majority of members are co-sponsors of our bill.” 
 
This is an historic year, representing the 100th Anniversary of women’s right to vote, and women’s rights activists intend to complete the unfinished business of the Suffragists, to pass the ERA.
 
“The unfinished business is to finally include women in the foundational document of this country – the US Constitution,” said Suzann Willhite, ERAMN Secretary. “Let us in.”

*impeached 
​

There being 21 Ayes & 11 No’s, the US House Judiciary Committee just passed #HJRes79- the bill to #DeleteTheDeadline on the #EqualRightsAmendment #ERA! 

The US House Committee on the Judiciary met Wednesday, November 13, 2019 to discuss House Judicary Resolution 79: Removing the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) 

Chairman Nadler's opening statement included:
​​"H.J. Res. 79, introduced by Representative Jackie Speier with 217 co-sponsors, would ensure that the Equal Rights Amendment, or "ERA," can become part of our Constitution if and when a sufficient number of states ratify it.  Specifically, this short and straightforward measure provides that notwithstanding the ratification deadline that Congress set for the ERA in 1972, and extended in 1978, the ERA "shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States."  [read the whole statement/press release]
​
​Thank you, #ChairmanNadler.

Here is the full coverage of the hearing.  It should start at the beginning, but if not:
The hearing begins at 50:33 and ends at 2:12:29.

FYI: This resolution would still have to pass through a US Senate committee and then pass through both Chambers, in exactly the same form, and signed by the President (or, re-passed in override of a presidential veto; or, remain unsigned for ten days while Congress is in session) to become a law.

Call Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) NOW and demand a full House vote on HJRes79!
CA tel: (415) 556-4862
DC tel: (202) 225-4965

​Virginia voters made it happen!  Democrats flipped the house and senate and have control of state government for the first time in a generation.   They have elected candidates who can ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

Phase 2 of the fight begins -- all legislators must be contacted and encouraged to vote to ratify the ERA for the good of the country.  Virginia will be the 38th state and with that comes RATIFICATION!  

Read a full article from the Washington Post

Week Five Report – Strengthening Momentum for ERA Ratification in Virginia
By Kamala, Natalie & the Equal Means Equal Team

Since our Week Two Report on September 26th, EQUAL MEANS EQUAL has been on the ground doing educational outreach in the communities in and around south/central Virginia. The local news caught our visit to Hampton University, a HBCU (Historically Black College or University).  

[Read More]  see the full posting at Equal Means Equal blog

Note:  If Virginia ratifies the National ERA we will have reached the critical 38 states to have a National Equal Rights Amendment!

ERAMN Federal Update   by Betty Folliard   9.11.19
 
PROGRESS REPORT

• In 2017 Nevada became the 36th state in the nation to ratify the federal ERA; last year Illinois finally cut its ties with the Confederacy and became the 37th state in the nation to ratify the federal ERA. These states sparked the match to ratify the federal ERA with bipartisan support, by making it crystal clear that a vote for the ERA is a vote for equality. Now we need only 1 more state to reach the ¾ requirement of 38 states.
• Our ERAMN Legislative Team worked throughout the Fall/Winter to garner chief authors, co-authors, and gain support for the Minnesota ERA bills. In May the Federal ERA Bill passed the MN House Unanimously 81-0 with 72 Dems & 9 GOP in a bipartisan vote.
• In April, Betty gave an ERA/CEDAW presentation to the NY State AAUW Annual Convention in Cooperstown NY.
• Also in April the US House Judiciary Committee held the first hearing on the ERA in 36 years, focusing on the “DeleteTheDeadline” bill: a bipartisan effort with 206 co-sponsors that will eliminate the sunset imposed on women’s rights in 1982 (218 needed for a majority!). ERAMN sent 2 delegates to represent us. We are told the Mark-up & Vote will take place this Fall.
• In July, Patty Mac, Rep. Rena Moran & Betty Folliard gave an ERA2020 Workshop (~50 attendees) at the National Organization of Women (NOW) national conference in Bloomington; and Betty then presented an ERA2020 Plenary Speech to the full conference.
• Also in July, Betty & Rep. Kaohly Her did a 1-hour ERA interview on MPR.
• In August, ERA Coalition- our DC-based national partner, held a bipartisan Capitol Hill briefing on the ERA in the US Senate hosted by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). 
• With the addition of Delaware this year, half the country (25 states) has ERA’s in their state constitutions (with New York poised to soon pass their own state ERA). State ERA’s in half of states prove that there’s nothing apocalyptic about a federal ERA.
• The most likely state to take us over the top is Virginia. This year, by a vote of 50-50, their ERA legislative effort was 1 vote shy of passing the federal ERA. Every legislative seat in their house & senate is up for election THIS YEAR. AND WE CAN HELP!

ERA MN President Emeritus Betty Folliard presented the Plenary Speech at the National NOW Conference.

You can view the view the opening presentation on the National Organization for Women's facebook page.  Look for Betty's ERAMN Plenary Speech from 25:34 to 38:43.

Betty Folliard, Rep. Rena Moran and Patty Mac also presented a workshop on how a ratified state supports the National ERA effort and how a state without an ERA is working to get one in their Minnesota state constitution.

ERAMN National NOW Workshop Is Just Days Away!

The first workshop to be offered at the National NOW Convention in Bloomington this Friday is presented by ERA Minnesota!

​Check it our here: https://now.org/conference/workshops/; then be sure to get registered here: https://now.org/conference/. Hope to see you there!

ERAMN Workshop, & Plenary at the National NOW Conference in Bloomington July 19-21
We’re thrilled to announce that ERA Minnesota (ERAMN) will have a strong presence at the National NOW Conference which is coming here on Friday July 19-21.

Join us there by registering HERE: https://now.org/conference/ 
On Friday 7/19, at 10:45 AM, ERAMN will have our "ERA 2020: The Minnesota Model”  Workshop presented by ERA federal legislation chief author Rep. Rena Moran, and ERAMN’s Betty Folliard & Patty McDonald.

The Topic: What can a ratified state do to take the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) over the Finish Line? And what actions can a state without a state ERA do to advance the ERA?ERA Minnesota (ERAMN) aims to “Educate, Agitate & Activate” a sleeping electorate to finally pass the ERA. Because our greatest barrier to ratifying the ERA is education, we’ve devised a two-pronged approach aimed at garnering state & federal ERA’s to finally achieve the goal of legalizing equality. Minnesota state ERA approach embraces intersectional language to ensure inclusivity of ALL into our state constitution; and we composed a Resolution to Congress to “Delete the Deadline” on the ERA that directly aligns with ERA bills in Congress. This workshop will provide cutting-edge multi-media illustrations & specific actions to advance both state & federal ERA’s – through the use of billboards, city & county resolutions, print/media coverage, focus ads, targeted districts, house parties, etc. - to roust the sleeping public. It is designed to motivate and to encourage cross-pollination of ideas so together we will make equal legal in 2020.

On  Saturday 7/20, ERAMN President Emeritus Betty Folliard will give her Plenary speech to the conference on ERA entitled”Bold Vision: ERA2020”.
​
ERAMN will also be tabling on all three days, so if you’d like to volunteer, send us an email at heather@eramn.org.

ERAMN on MPR Tomorrow at 11!

ERAMN Founder Betty Folliard & Representative Kaohly Her will be on MPR News with Angela Davis  tomorrow - TUESDAY, July 2 - at 11 AM talking about the #EqualRightsAmendment.

To join the #ERA discussion. Call in to 651-227-6000.

7/3/19 UPDATE:  Hear the recorded show HERE.

BIG NEWS! 
The US House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler has called the first official hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on the Equal Rights Amendment- HJRes38 (which corresponds to Rena Moran's HF71) to be held on Tuesday, April 30th.

This is the 1st time in 36 years that the ERA will be discussed in Congress!  And we look forward to the MN House airing of Rena's bill. 

ACTION ALERT: 1-MINUTE EFFORT

Click below to send a clear message to your US Senators & Congress Member to sign onto #ERA ”Delete the Deadline” Resolutions‼️

SJRes6: Sponsor Senator Cardin seems to be taking a balanced approach to co-sponsors. So far there’s himself (D), 2 R’s, & 1 I on the bill. Both Klobuchar & Smith signed on last Session, and should get on this year.

H.J.Res.38: Here in MN, thus far only Craig, Omar & McCollum are signed on. There are a record 182 Co-sponsors on the bill❣️

Let’s give ‘em a nudge. 

Go HERE to send your message now!

PRESS RELEASE from the Senate DFL Caucus
Committee to Review Bills Barred from Senate Hearings
​Sen. Little to Chair; Sen. Franzen, Vice Chair; 

St. Paul, MN –
“These bills could save many lives and tax dollars,” Sen. Little (DFL-Lakeville) previewed, “But they haven’t been given a single senate hearing. Our democracy isn’t supposed to work this way- it’s the worst kind of partisanship.” The fictitious ‘Senate Committee on Banned Bills’ will hold a very real hearing on April 1stat 9:00am in 1100 Minnesota Senate Building to review a variety of legislation that have been refused committee hearings in the senate. This committee hearing will be open to the public and people are encouraged to attend.

“These bills have huge public support and are common sense ideas,” Sen. Little continued, “They’ve been banned for completely crass partisan reasons; because they are targeting certain seats, and don’t want to give certain people any achievements to campaign with. But the senate can’t make good decisions if major options aren’t even on the table. Partisan games like this are rigging our democracy, and blocking bills that voters really want.”
  
The Senate Committee on Banned Bills (COBB) is slated to review the proposed bills, take testimony from citizens and expert witnesses, and debate the merits of each policy.  A wide array of bills will be introduced during the hearing, including legislation dealing with paid family medical leave, gun safety, and the health care provider tax [agenda and complete list of members and bills below].  

Until late yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka had declared that he would “do everything in his power” to prevent new gun legislation. Early this morning the Star Tribune reported that Leader Gazelka had changed position and agreed to allow a hearing on certain gun safety measures if the house passed the same bills first. 

“I am encouraged by Sen. Gazelka’s apparent willingness to hear my background check and red flag bills,” Sen. Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) commented, “But his announcement comes only two days before the committee deadline. As of yet, these hearings have not been scheduled, so this April first hearing will make sure that the views of the majority of Minnesotans are heard in the Senate.”  

“Reforms like universal background checks are supported by over 87% of all Minnesota gun owners,” Sen. Latz noted, “These issues deserve to be heard in the senate.”  

For other senators, their motivations center around key issues, such as restoring the rights of felons after they have completed their sentences. “Restoring voting rights after people have done their time just makes sense,” Sen. Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) explained, “How can you expect people to feel they have a chance in life if we keep them on the outside forever? Restoring their right to vote isn’t enough, but it’s an important step toward making them a productive, whole person again, after they’re released. That would be life changing for thousands of people.”  

For Sen. Susan Kent (DFL-Woodbury), Paid Family and Medical Leave is a test of Minnesota’s moral compass, “Whether we assist or abandon families during a medical crisis says a lot about who we are as a society. Forcing people to choose between a day’s pay or caring for a dying parent is a moral failure for Minnesota. The public is overwhelmingly behind paid family and medical leave. And many businesses want it because they can’t provide paid leave if their competitors don’t have to provide it too. If businesses and families want paid medical leave, why won’t the senate even give this bill a hearing? It’s a disgrace.”  

All the senate members of the Committee on Banned Bills share the view that the normal democratic process requires hearings on all major options. “We are not talking about small, obscure, radical bills here,” Sen. Franzen (DFL-Edina) noted, “These are consensus policies on major issues. These proposals deserve a hearing, and most importantly, the citizens who have poured their energy into these bills deserve to be heard.”  

The fate of these bills will be uncertain even after the Committee on Banned Bills hears them.  “We hope this hearing puts pressure on committee chairs to hear these bills,” Sen. Little noted, “But either way, we want voters to know about these crucial issues so they can make up their own minds. We can’t let crass partisanship prevent voters from learning about key issues.” 

Sen. Little believes advocates for these issues have been left with no alternative, “If the committee chairs won’t do the right thing, then we have to. They’ve left millions of Minnesotans with no voice and no hope on some of the biggest issues facing families today.”  

Senate Committee on Banned Bills Agenda for Monday, April 1: 

1. SF 434 – Latz – Firearms transfers and private party firearms transfers criminal background checks requirement 
2. SF 399 – Hayden – MinnesotaCare provider tax repeal
3. SF 1012 – Torres Ray – Increase Teachers of Color Act strengthening and appropriation
4. SF 1060 – Kent – Paid family, pregnancy, bonding, and applicant’s serious medical condition benefits establishment; employment leaves authorization and regulation; data classification authorization and appropriation  
5. SF 856 – Champion – Right to vote restoration upon incarceration release or sentencing imposition; county attorney voter registration and eligibility investigation obligation repeal
6. SF 208 – Pappas – Resolution memorializing Congress to remove the deadline for ratification of the equal rights amendment by the states SF 200 – Cohen – Constitutional amendment for gender equality under the law

Senate Committee on Banned Bills Membership:

• Sen. Matt Little – Chair
• Sen. Melisa Franzen – Vice Chair
• Sen. Karla Bigham
• Sen. Bobby Joe Champion
• Sen. Steve Cwodzinski
• Sen. Nick Frentz
• Sen. Jeff Hayden
• Sen. Jason Isaacson 
• Sen. Susan Kent
• Sen. Sandy Pappas
• Sen. Patricia Torres Ray

Senator Matt Little represents Senate District 58, which covers Lakeville, Farmington, a small slice of Northfield and more than a dozen townships and small communities including Empire, Vermillion, New Trier and Douglas.

Learn more about Sen. Little.

ERA Minnesota (ERA MN) is asking people throughout Minnesota to create short videos to help spread the word on social media why they support the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
 
Whenever ERA MN talks to people around Minnesota, whether it’s up on the Range, down in southern Minnesota, or in the Twin Cities they tell us how much they want to live in a state that embraces gender equality.
 
ERA MN has been advocating for legislation at the State Capital that would put the amendment on the ballot in 2020, providing Minnesotans with a chance to vote on whether or not they want a state that embraces equality. 
 
The amendment would add “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender” to Minnesota’s Constitution.
 
The video project is a way for everyday Minnesotans to tell each other why the amendment matters to them and that equality should be a core value for all Minnesotans.
 
Making an Impact for Equality
ERA MN is asking people to create short 30 to 60 second videos featuring themselves or people they know talking about why the ERA matters to them. 
 
People should post their videos on their favorite social media channels using the hashtags #ERAmn & #14WordsForEquality. ERA MN will share the best user videos across the organization's social media and website (www.ERAmn.org).
 
A few ideas ERA MN is trying to emphasize are: 

1. The Equal Rights Amendment is about creating opportunities for everyone regardless of their gender.
2. The next step to a better Minnesota starts with these 14 words “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.” 
3. A few things the Minnesota ERA is intended to do are:

• Provide certainty and stability to Minnesota’s legal system by setting a clear legal standard that everyone, regardless of their gender, is protected equally by Minnesota’s Constitution. 
• Help address serious issues in Minnesota like gender violence, workplace discrimination, and the wage gap.
• Create a more open society where people have the opportunity to choose their path regardless of their gender.

 
If you’re not sure what to say in a longer video, or just like being on camera, get a group of friends together and record a short video using one of the blurbs below:

• All it takes for a Better Minnesota are these 14 words. Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.
  
  
• Now is the time to let Minnesotans Vote on the ERA. Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.

 
Tips for Great Videos
Here are a few tips for making a great video:

1. Speak from the heart about why the ERA matters to you and don’t be afraid to be energetic!
2. Write out what you want to say and read it out loud a few times before you record it.
3. Look at the camera while you’re speaking.
4. You can read more about the amendment at www.ERAmn.org.

 
Here are a few filming tips:

1. Have a friend record the video for you and if you can use a tripod or something else to stabilize the camera. 
2. Shoot the video in a well-lit place but not somewhere with too much direct sunlight or too much background noise.

 
In addition to asking people to create their own videos, ERA Minnesota is producing some longer videos featuring Minnesotan’s from all walks of life talking about why the ERA matters to them.  Like the one of Trista M  - below.  Those videos can be seen on the organization’s YouTube channel.  Select videos will also be on our ERA YES Video page.
 
Questions about the project should be directed to Heather Allison.
Blog post by Mark Hinds

ERA video of Trista MatasCastilla on why the ERA is important to her.

Next Friday, March 8th, ERA Minnesota announces our celebration of International Women’s Day #IWD2019 by hosting the 3rd Annual ERA Rally at the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda. The event will feature Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan along with top legislative leaders and ERA supporters, to spotlight the urgent need for an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in our state and federal constitutions.

Legislative leaders and thousands of activists from across the state are pushing to pass two initiatives currently in the Minnesota House & Senate: HF13 (Kunesh-Podein)/SF200 (Cohen) - a Minnesota ERA to the state constitution providing for gender equality under the law and proposing a constitutional amendment that will be added to the ballot in the 2020 general election for voters to decide; and HF71 (Moran)/SF208 (Pappas) - a resolution memorializing Congress to remove the words “June 30th 1982” that comprised the deadline imposed on the ERA federal legislation so the ERA it can be added to the U.S. Constitution when ratified by the last state.

The Minnesota House is poised to pass both bills in the coming week. All attention and energies will then pivot to the Minnesota Senate to give the bills full and fair hearings to pass the ERA.

WHAT:  ERA Lobby Day & Rally at the Capitol
WHEN:  Friday, March 8th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Rally at 10:00 AM
               (Lobby your senator before and after the Rally)
WHERE:  Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda
HOSTED BY: ERA Minnesota

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: 

• Governor Tim Walz
• Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
• Sen. Dick Cohen
• Sen. Sandy Pappas
• Sen. Scott Dibble
• Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein
• Rep. Rena Moran
• Rep. Kaohly Her
• Rep. Hunter Cantrell

ERA Bill Numbers: HF13/SF200; and HF71/SF208.

By: Kevin Featherly | Minnesota Lawyer   February 7, 2019 
​
Two bills pushing women’s Equal Rights Amendments in both the state and U.S. constitutions are on the march in the Minnesota House.

Both face skepticism from GOP lawmakers and a few constitutional experts, but for now they are on an upward trajectory.

House File 13 comes from Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, DFL-New Brighton. It has 26 DFL co-sponsors and cleared a committee hurdle on Jan. 24, when it passed out of House Government Operations with a unanimous voice vote. It is scheduled for a hearing at State Government Finance Feb. 7.

In an interview, Kunesh-Podein said her ERA bill is a mirror image of the 1970s-vintage federal ERA amendment, which fell three states short of ratification at the time of its final 1982 deadline.

The other Minnesota House bill, House File 71 from Rep. Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, is a resolution asking Congress to eliminate that deadline and kick-start passage of the federal ERA. Moran’s bill went directly from Government Operations to the general register, to await a still-unscheduled House floor vote.

Kunesh-Podein’s bill would place on Minnesota’s 2020 election ballot a constitutional amendment stating that women and men have equal rights under the law. If passed, it would go into effect in January 2021.

“Under this legislative majority and with the awareness of gender inequity, now is the time to do this and get it done,” Kunesh-Podein said in an interview.

The Jan. 24 vote moved her bill to Ways and Means, and from there to the Feb. 7 State Government Finance hearing. But its unanimity might be slightly misleading. The Jan. 24 vote came after the rejection of a GOP amendment, which aimed to prevent a state ERA from being used to fuel legal challenges to anti-abortion state statutes.

“In the broad scope of your bill and your push, I fully support it,” said Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, who first offered then withdrew the amendment. “My concern is as a Catholic pro-lifer who doesn’t want to support something that, down the road, is used to justify expansion of abortion access in Minnesota.”

At a Jan. 24 House State Government Operations hearing, MCCL Legislative Director Andrea Rau expresses opposition to a state Equal Rights Amendment bill. The legislation’s author, Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, DFL-New Brighton, sits to her left. (Staff photo: Kevin Featherly)
Andrea Rau, legislative director for the anti-abortion group MCCL, asserted that her group’s members are strong on women’s rights. “However, equal rights amendments have a history of discriminating against less developed humans—those yet to be born,” she said.

Rau cited a recent Pennsylvania lawsuit in which abortion-rights advocates used the state’s ERA to justify a constitutional challenge against a ban on state-financed abortions. “Attempts to invalidate pro-life laws continue based on ERAs,” Rau said.

David Schultz, the Hamline University political science professor, said Republicans might have a point. He noted that in 1979, future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued that reproductive rights should be guaranteed by the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, rather than a judicially constructed right to privacy.

An ERA would raise gender to a protected status equivalent to race, which conceivably could make it a powerful constitutional tool for abortion-rights proponents, Schultz said.
“I think that Republicans rightly perceive that’s part of what the agenda is,” he said.
Kunesh-Podein, however, told lawmakers that her bill has nothing to do with abortion rights. She declined to accept the Zerwas amendment, she said, to keep it “a clean bill.”
In the interview, Kunesh-Podein said the Zerwas amendment, had it passed, would have been fatal to her bill. “We would have had to kill the bill right here because we can’t let that go forward with that amendment on there,” she said.

Though it likely won’t stop anything, the Zerwas amendment likely is not dead. “I think there will be robust discussion on the floor about the amendment,” he told committee members on Jan. 24.

Senate factor
Taken in isolation, of course, little of that matters. House Democrats have a 75-59 majority and can pass pretty much any bill that suits their mood. But House Republican opposition appears to be reflected in the Senate, where it matters a great deal.

Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, is chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, through which both of the DFL House bills’ companions would have to pass.

In a brief interview on Wednesday afternoon, he said neither bill is scheduled to be heard in his committee. He said he plans to leave it up to Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, to decide whether they should move forward in his committee.

But even lacking a Senate hearing and testimony, there already are signals that Senate Republicans share their House counterparts’ concerns.

Senate File 200, from Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St Paul, is the companion to the Kunesh-Podein bill. It once had three Republican sponsors — Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Vernon Center; Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester; and Sen. Scott Jensen, R-Chaska. All have since had their names stricken from that bill.

The same is true for the Moran bill’s Senate companion, Senate File 208 from Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. It also boasted three GOP co-sponsors. As of Jan. 22, all had their names removed.

“That might have been some strong influence from MCCL,” Kunesh-Podein said when asked about the Senate defections.

Both bills also have many supporters. At the Jan. 24 Government Operations hearing, for instance, so many supportive testifiers were present that not all could be heard.

Lisa Stratton, former University of Minnesota law school instructor and co-founder of the nonprofit Gender Justice, was among them. “This standard would simply place gender equality on the same footing as racial and religious equality,” she testified.

She quoted the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who in 2011 said that while the U.S. constitution does not require discrimination against women, neither does it prohibit discrimination.

“Enshrining the basic principle of gender equality in the Minnesota Constitution,” she said, “would make it clear that the citizens of this state expect its courts to apply a very high level of scrutiny to laws that create or reinforce gender disparities.”

Stratton added: “It would make it clear that such laws have to be justified by a compelling state interest.”

More skepticism
Abortion is not the only cause for skepticism about the bills.  Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, in a Jan. 25 interview, said the ERA is constitutionally superfluous. “The 14th Amendment covers this, period,” he said. “It’s already in law. It’s already in the Constitution.”
Mary Jane Morrison, a Minnesota Constitution expert and retired academic, wonders whether a constitutional amendment is the right answer to the problems supporters want solved.

Various testifiers suggested that a state ERA would enshrine women’s equality in state law, helping to curb gender wage disparities, lessen the double whammy of racial and gender discrimination faced by women of color and help prevent domestic abuse, among other issues.

Morrison said that while all those problems are real and serious, their root causes are not totally clear. Without having a firm grasp on causation, she said, a constitutional amendment may be the wrong remedy — because it is not certain what it would solve.
Morrison makes no firm stance against enshrining the ERA into the state constitution. She is just not sure it is the right answer — at least not yet.

“If we have already exhausted the non-constitutional efforts to solve the problems, then I am ready for a constitutional clause that has teeth in it — with a department behind it that is charged with enforcement,” Morrison said.
​
However, she added, “My general view is that the constitution needs to be the place of last resort, after we found out that we have no legislative and cultural means of solving the problem.”

This is an interesting and eye opening article from the PEW Research Center about women paying more for auto insurance -- and no one is telling why.

STATELINE ARTICLE: PEW  February 11, 2019
By: Elaine S. Povich Topics: Demographics & Transportation Read time: 6 min

It’s a widespread belief that men pay more for automobile insurance than women. But that’s only true for young adults.

Several studies in 2018 and 2017 revealed that women over 25, particularly those between 40 and 60, often pay more than men — not less — for auto insurance, all other rating criteria being equal. Now, California has become the latest in a handful of states that have outlawed setting rates for automobile insurance based on gender.

[Read the whole article]

Minnesota ERA Working Its Way Through the MN House
St. Paul, MN, February 6, 2019 -

The Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment (HF13 Kunesh-Podein) cleared the House State Government Finance committee this morning by a 9-4 roll call vote.
 
The legislation would place the amendment on the statewide ballot in 2020 asking Minnesotans to add the following language “Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender” to the state constitution.
 
“Having these fourteen words on the ballot will give Minnesotans the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to live in a state where all people are protected equally by our state’s legal system.” said M. Kathleen Murphy, Vice-President of ERA Minnesota, who appeared before the committee today. “Now is the time to take the next step towards a more equal Minnesota.”
 
Legislation supporting the amendment has been introduced every year since 1983. This is the first year it has passed out of committee. ERA Minnesota (ERAmn), the organization advocating for the amendment, expects the legislation to pass the House this legislative session.
 
The equal rights amendment is about creating opportunities for everyone regardless of their gender. A few things the Minnesota ERA is intended to do are:
 

• Provide certainty and stability to Minnesota’s legal system by setting a clear legal standard that everyone, regardless of their gender, is protected equally under the law.  

 

• Help address serious issues in Minnesota like the gender violence, workplace discrimination, and the wage gap.  

 

• Create a more open society where people have the opportunity to choose their path regardless of their gender.

 
The bill will be heard next in the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law committee.

Fund & Awareness raising event!  This Saturday, February 2 from 1 - 4 pm.  at the Hook & Ladder Theater & Lounge.

Help us celebrate the passing of HF13 (the Equal Rights Amendment) through the Government Operations Committee!  And come learn more about the ERA. 

We have great entertainment and a great silent auction and raffle.  Along with a viewing of the powerful short film (25 min) Legalize Equality.

More info can be found on our Events page.