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.

To be on the statewide ballot in 2020 the proposed Constitutional amendment needs a simple majority in both the Minnesota House and Senate.
 
Lisa Stratton, a legal expert in gender discrimination, testified that enshrining gender equality in Minnesota’s Constitution would make it clear to the courts that they need to apply the highest level of scrutiny to laws that create or reinforce gender disparities. It would also make clear that such laws must be justified by a compelling state interest and the law under review must be found to be necessary. This standard would place gender equality on the same footing as racial and religious equality.
 
Adding an equal protection clause to the Constitution is another step forward in Minnesota’s long journey towards becoming a place that embraces the diversity and uniqueness of its people. As Jettie Ann Hill, a 26-year state employee and member of the MN Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) said, “Now is the time for Minnesota to begin closing the gap and recognizing the intersection between race and gender by adding the ERA to the state Constitution.”
 
The amendment would have a positive benefit to Minnesota’s economy and help to reduce the pay gap between men and women. Hill continued, “It is well documented that Black, Latino, American Indian, and other women of color in Minnesota face complex economic inequalities, and more training and education does not lead to the same economic payoff as men.”
 
Some of the most powerful testimony was given by MatasCastillo who spoke to her experience as a survivor of sexual assault in the military and to being recognized as the first woman to hold positions traditionally held by men.
 
“I was proud to blaze a trail that others could follow, but if I am honest, I never asked to serve as an exemplar of my gender, but only to serve. They call that a privilege, but it would be a far greater privilege to live in a world where women did not need to prove the worth of their gender to earn the respect given as a matter of course to men.”
 
Pheng Thao, the Statewide Coordinator for Men and Masculine Folks Network, spoke to the amendment’s ability to help change our culture for the better, highlighting the tragic fact that one in three women and girls in Minnesota experience gender violence in their lifetime. Thao went on to say, “We live in a culture where we are still teaching our boys and young men rigid ideas about manhood – dominant, strong-willed, emotionless – and that women and girls are there to serve their needs.”

PRESS Release:  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   January 24, 2019
Contact:   Heather Allison (651) 214-1702 heather@eramn.org
                    Betty Folliard  (612) 868-3511 betty.folliard@gmail.com
                
The ERA is in the House
                   
ST PAUL, MINN – ERA Minnesota (ERA MN www.eramn.org) is thrilled to announce that for the first time in decades the Minnesota House will hold hearings on Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) bills today -- January 24th, 2019 before the Government Operations Committee, SOB Room 10 at 9:45 AM.
 
There are two ERA bills to be heard in the Government Operations Committee that day: first (HF13), a Minnesota State ERA amendment to the state constitution bill chief-authored by Representative Mary Kunesh-Podein; and second (HF71), is a Resolution to Congress to remove the deadline on the federal ERA chief-authored by Representative Rena Moran. Both bills have companion bills introduced today in the Senate: the MN State ERA SF200 (Cohen) and the ERA Resolution to Congress SF208 (Pappas).
 
HF13/SF200 -- the constitutional amendment -- would  provide for gender equality under the law and proposes a constitutional amendment that, if passed by both bodies of the Minnesota Legislature, would be added to the ballot in the 2020 general election for the voters to decide on the outcome. 2020 has special significance because it coincides with the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage – the year women achieved the right to vote.
 
“This state ERA is long overdue,” says Heather Allison, President of ERAMN. “25 states already have passed ERA’s into their state constitutions – the oldest having been written over 140 years ago.”
 
HF71/SF208 is a resolution memorializing Congress to remove the “June 30th 1982” deadline  so that once the 38th state ratifies the ERA it can be ratified into the U.S. Constitution.
 
“95% of Minnesotans believe everyone should have equal rights,” said Betty Folliard, Founder of ERAMN. “We’re grateful to the Legislature for this opportunity to make equal legal.”
 
ERA Minnesota is a coalition of thousands of activists and organizations from every corner of the state dedicated to embedding an Equal Rights Amendment into our state and national constitutions to ensure that all citizens are protected from discrimination on the basis of sex.
 
“Pay inequity, workplace gender discrimination, domestic violence, rape & campus sexual assault, female poverty, pregnancy discrimination, and laws that unjustly affect men will all be helped by an ERA;” says M. Kathleen Murphy, VP of ERAMN & Founder of CAFE Coalition; “that’s why the ERA is so badly needed.”

ERA Minnesota is a coalition of thousands of activists and organizations from every corner of the state dedicated to embedding an Equal Rights Amendment into our state and national constitutions to ensure that all citizens are protected from discrimination on the basis of sex. 

PRESS ADVISORY: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 18, 2019
Contact: Heather Allison (651) 214-1702, Heather@eramn.org
                 Betty Folliard (612) 868-3511, betty.folliard@gmail.com
 
Brand New Day for the ERA
ST PAUL, MINN
–
ERA Minnesota (ERAMN www.eramn.org) is thrilled to announce that for the first time in decades the Minnesota House will hold hearings on Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) bills next Thursday January 24th, 2019 in the State Office Building, basement-Room 10 at 9:45 a.m.
 
There are two ERA bills to be heard in the Government Operations & Veterans Affairs Committee that day: first (HF13), a Minnesota State ERA amendment to the state constitution bill chief-authored by Representative Mary Kunesh-Podein; and second (HF71), is a Resolution to Congress to remove the deadline on the federal ERA chief-authored by Representative Rena Moran. Both bills have companion bills introduced today in the Senate: the MN State ERA SF200 (Cohen) and the ERA Resolution to Congress SF208 (Pappas).
 
HF13/SF200 provides for gender equality under the law and proposes a constitutiona amendment that, if passed by both bodies of the Minnesota Legislature, would be added to the ballot in the 2020 general election for the voters to decide on the outcome. 2020 has special significance because it coincides with the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage – the year women achieved the right to vote.
 
“This state ERA is long overdue, says Heather Allison, President of ERAMN. “25 states already have passed ERA’s into their state constitutions – the oldest having been written over 140 years ago.”
 
HF71/SF208 is a resolution memorializing Congress to remove the “June 30th, 1982” deadline so that once the 38th state ratifies the ERA it can be ratified into the U.S. Constitution.
 
“95% of Minnesotans believe everyone should have equal rights,” said Betty Folliard, Founder of ERAMN. “We’re grateful to the Legislature for this opportunity to make equal legal.”
 
ERA Minnesota is a coalition of thousands of activists and organizations from every corner of the state dedicated to embedding an Equal Rights Amendment into our state and national constitutions to ensure that all citizens are protected from discrimination on the basis of sex. This organization is a sponsor of Women’s March Minnesota's (www.womensmarchmn.com) “Unstoppable” Rally & March this Saturday. The Equal Rights Amendment is part of Women’s March’s Unity Principles.
 
“Pay inequity, gender discrimination in the workplace, gender violence including domestic violence and sexual  assault, and, primarily, gender fairness in our court system are the main reasons why the state ERA is still necessary.” says M. Kathleen Murphy, VP of ERAMN & Founder of the MN CAFE Coalition.
 
#####
 
ERA Bill Numbers: HF13/SF200; and HF71/SF208. For more information, go to www.eramn.org

By Heather Allison
President
ERA Minnesota

​ERA MN in coalition with MN NOW is excited to announce the next phase of our fall outreach campaign to convince Legislative candidates to support putting an equal rights amendment to Minnesota’s Constitution on the ballot in 2020 as well as raising awareness of the continued effort for national ratification.

Our digital campaign will target key areas around Minnesota with ads encouraging people to support passing the amendment. When people click on the ads, they are taken to our website and encouraged to contact candidates in their area, find out more about the amendment, and get involved with ERA MN.

We Need Your Help to Make this Happen
To build support for passing the amendment we need your help.  Here are three things you can do today!

1. Donate to our Go Fund Me page for the Digital Campaign.  For every $20 we raise we can get an additional 20,000 ad impressions.

 

1. Contact candidates in your area and ask them to support an Equal Rights Amendment for Minnesota. If they already support passage send them a thank you email. To find out who’s supporting the amendment visit either our Soar or Why campaign pages for a list of candidates’ positions.

 

1. Support the campaign on Facebook.  Over the next five weeks, we will be reaching out to people through ERA MN’s Facebook page to grow our base for the fight ahead.  If you haven’t already follow us and whenever you see a message from the campaign share it with your network.

Billboard UPDATE!
ERA billboards are popping up across Minnesota!
ERA MN in coalition with MN NOW are excited to announce the second billboard in their ERA billboard campaign! This billboard, as pictured above, can be found on Highway 10 just south of Elk River. 

The billboard campaign was created to raise awareness and educate about the need for an Equal Rights Amendment to be included in the Minnesota state constitution as well as to continue support for ratification into the US constitution. Locations of these billboards were chosen as they are within districts currently represented by legislative leadership that did not support the ERA this previous legislative session.  

As we grow closer to November and the general election, we want to make sure all candidates running, as well as those who are not currently up for re-election, are required to take a position on the ERA.  We will be tracking these responses on our website so that every supporter of the ERA knows exactly where all candidates stand!

WANT TO SEE MORE?

Do you want to see an ERA billboard near you or in a district you feel needs to put pressure on its legislator? Are you a group that wants to get involved in this exciting initiative? We need your help to be able to keep this campaign going!  Visit our GoFundMepage to learn more and contribute! 
 
We urge all supporters of the ERA to contact their legislators to find out exactly where THEY stand on the ERA.  If you need help finding your legislator visit our site HERE and be sure to let us know what you hear from them so we can update our site with their stance! ​

By Betty Folliard, Founder ERAMN

​​I. Background of ERAMN
A. I started ERA Minnesota in 2014 after we successfully passed WESA – The Minnesota Women’s Economic Security Act - thru our legislature, putting Minnesota on the forefront of workplace protections for women. 
B. To amplify our voice nationally on this topic, I searched the Internet and discovered there was a Rally for Equality in DC that September. So I raised the monies needed to take 50 people – a diverse coalition of women & a few good men from every corner of this state – to travel by bus to DC for the “We Are Woman” #Rally4Equality2014 on the U.S. Capitol Mall. 
C. That’s where we connected with women’s rights coalitions from all across the country and the journey shifted our focus to the ERA. I proposed, and we became, ERA Minnesota. We elected officers, built a cadre of ally organizations, honed our message then aimed our energies at both the Minnesota Legislature & at Congress to achieve our goals of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment into our state & national constitutions. To that end, ERAMN is working locally, statewide & nationally to help finally ratify the ERA.
 
II. Ratified State

1. As a ratified state here in Minnesota, we developed a two-pronged approach: 

1. Pass an ERA into our state constitution because we are one of the 26 states that has not already done so; and,
2. Pass legislation demanding Congress remove the deadline on the ERA.  
3. To this end we have two types of legislation: first, our Minnesota ERA to embed an ERA into our state constitution, and second, our Minnesota Legislature’s Resolution to Congress to remove the deadline of June 2, 1982 out of the preface of the federal Equal Rights Amendment.
 
III. At ERAMN, our actions can be described as 3-fold, or as Susan B. Anthony so succinctly phrased it, ”Organize, Agitate, Educate.” 

1. Organize:

1. Grow our Base: Our organization has grown since 2014 from 50 to over 3000 activists with a reach far beyond that on social media. We have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and are the go-to-guys in the media when issues arise regarding women’s equality. In 2017 we brought over 500 people to the state capitol to advocate for our legislation, with numerous authors & co-authors on our various bills. This year, in the off year, we had over 300 people come to the capitol to join our efforts.
 
2. Garner Resources: Fundraising is essential in order to fuel this all-volunteer organization, so in the past 9 months we held 2 fundraisers, one at Minnesota’s first women-owned brewery called Urban Growler with a Silent Auction & Live Music; and one at Sweeney's Saloon with guest speakers & local talent.
 
3. Build Coalitions: Collaboration with other local groups and organizations has been key to success.
In 2017 we developed an early friendship with Women’s March Minnesota, providing the contact info for their speakers. I then travelled to DC for the Women’s March weekend and made presentations there to ERA activists. We’ve made presentations across the state on ERA including:
a. Last Women's Equality Day we presented a screening of the film “Equal Means Equal” at the Women in Public Policy Program at the University of Minnesota 
b. Presenting a Women's Rights 101 Program partnering with the Minneapolis/St. Paul NOW at the 2018 MNxMN Resistance conference 
c. Tabling at local legislators’ Advocacy Fair 
d. Tabling at Women's March: Hear our Voice event 
e. We helped host the “Let's Talk Women!” Conference hosted by MN Local Action Group where we again did a screening of Equal Means Equal & Panel discussion and at the U of M Carlson School of Management
f. Plus another screening of EME & Discussion at East Side Freedom Library 
g. We created an awesome banner and marched in:
1) Cinco de Mayo Parade 
2) May Day Parade & booth 
h. This weekend we are sharing a table with MN NOW at PRIDE Weekend where we are conducting a poll to have the public vote on their favorite billboard choices
h. and ongoing this summer we’re helping with Women's March Power to the Polls 

1. Agitate:

1. In 2015 we started our ERAMN Capitol Action Squad – a group of folks who would do visibility with ERA signs in front of both our House & Senate to talk to leaders directly. In addition, we had a major postcard-writing campaign this year – with thousands of cards sent to legislators’ offices and brought hundreds of activists to the capitol. 
2. Also in 2015 ERAMN warriors travelled to Springfield, Illinois to help with the ERA Action push to ratify there.
3. In December after 2 state legislators were called out for sexual harassment at the capitol, I and another leader held an anti-sexual harassment rally called “I Believe Her” which made it onto all the statewide major print and TV media as well as got some national coverage at the MN state capitol. 2 days later to two legislators quit their elected offices. 
4. Predictably, the GOP majority in Session ignored all efforts, so my 2nd major ERA commentary was printed in the Star Tribune pointing out their intransigence.
5. We then turned our energies outside, creating a new billboard campaign in coalition with Minnesota NOW. To date we’ve designed billboards and have our first one up with an online fundraising strategy to put even more in strategic locations around the state based on Legislative leadership inaction. This has been so successful that we raised enough in the first week on GoFundMe for a 3rd billboard.

 

1. Educate:

1. By far our biggest challenge in achieving ERAMN’s goals to pass the ERA statewide and federally is Education. To that end this year we:
   1. Mailed out a Newsletter to a 2500 person recipient list 
   2. Have presented at numerous guest speaker events, including 

 
1) 2 Third Thursdays Panels 
2) AAUW Minneapolis Public Policy luncheon 
3) St Olaf College Gender Studies Students
4) Rep. Omar's Coffee and Kulan panel 
5) Minneapolis League of Women Voters 
6) St Paul League of Women Voters
7) The Northfield/Cannon Falls LWV
8) ERA TV Interview on FYI with Barry ZeVan
9) Radio interview on AM950
10) Presented at House of Hope Church
11) Presentation to the Twin Cities Presbytery 
12) Presented to Warren E. Berger Inn of Court 
 
IV. Our national work to date has included:

1. Participating in 2 Marches/Rallies in DC, one organized by We Are Woman and one organized by Katrina’s Dream;
2. Regular communication and collaboration with ERA groups across the US (i.e. ERA Action, ERA Coalition, Equal Means Equal, Katrina’s Dream, etc.)
3. We are a Lead Organization on ERA Coalition & I am the MN State Director for Equal Means Equal
4. Taking action on social media with state ERA ratification efforts elsewhere, including in Illinois & North Carolina
5. This year I became a Presbyterian Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women where I spent 10 days advocating for women’s empowerment and equality internationally.
6. ERAMN was also instrumental in passing the “100CitesForCEDAW” CEDAW resolution through Minneapolis, St Paul, Edina & Redwing city councils, as well as the Minnesota Bar Association.

V. In conclusion, there’s so much that a ratified state can do to organize, agitate, & educate our society about the burning need for the ERA by helping un-ratified states, amplifying our collective ERA voice toward final passage, educating the sleeping public about ERA and passing the ERA into our state constitution. We’re on the right side of history. We won’t take no for an answer. And we will prevail.

Want to hear the recording? Go hear to LISTEN!

Despite all of this progress, it does not mean the fight is over. Prejudice and hate still lurk around the corners. June 12th, 2016 in Orlando, Florida the tragedy that is the Pule night club shooting took place. 49 were killed and 43 injured. As uncomfortable as it is, we can not let events like this be put to the side or forgotten. However, that does not mean be shaken by fear. We are here to fight for a world where people can express themselves freely without such fears.  
 
Even where there is no physical oppression, mental oppression exists attaching guilt as well as a struggle of identity and self-acceptance to one’s sexuality. Many places, such as churches, fall into the habit of rejecting the LGBTQ community. Stripping them of a place of worship and implanting ideas of being unwanted and unforgivable. The mindset of ‘praying the gay away’ is a poisonous one that still runs rampant in today’s society, creating a bad reputation for both the LGBTQ community and the church itself. The stigma it’s created on members of the LGBTQ community continues to exist not only in the church and other places of worship, but outside as well.

In fact the 2015 national youth risk behavior survey showed that 34% of LGBTQ students were bullied on school property, 28% of LGBTQ students were bullied through electronic means, and 13% of LGBTQ students did not go to school because of safety concerns.

By ERAMN Founder Betty Folliard

​ERA Minnesota (ERAMN) is proud to announce that the Equal Rights Amendment just moved closer to final passage after the Illinois Legislature ratified the measure, becoming the 37th state in the nation to do so.

Now only one final state is needed to reach the ¾ threshold for ratification into the U.S. Constitution. Most likely to succeed may be North Carolina whose legislature ends in June.

The ERA is a hundred-year battle similar to the struggle for the right of women to vote. It’s an issue of power and power doesn’t give itself up. But #MeToo and #TimesUp movements underscored that discrimination on the basis of sex will no longer be tolerated.

A major paradigm has shifted. Lawmakers take heed. Time for Minnesota to join with 24 other states in passing a state ERA into our state constitution.

March in a parade this weekend!  We are participating in 2 great events this weekend -- the Cinco de Mayo Parade (Saturday, May 5 @ 10 am)  and the May Day Parade (Sunday, May 6 @ 12 noon).  We would love it if you would join us marching in the parades! 
​Contact Heather if you'd like to march.  Heather @ ERAmn.org.

My Visit to the State Capitol on International Women's Day.
By Maria S.

I was at the Minnesota State Capitol on March 8th, International Women’s Day, to rally and lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment.  I happened to have a couple of minutes with my State Senator Mary Kiffmeyer.  When I asked her if she would support ERA she said that she did not support it and would not vote for it.  I was too shocked to even know what to say if she would have asked.

For those who do not know, the Equal Rights Amendment simply states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”  See below for a short history of the ERA. In Minnesota we are working on:

1.  A vote to put the Equal Rights Amendment on the November ballot to be added to the Minnesota Constitution.
2.  A vote to pass a resolution asking the federal congress to remove the time limit that was put on ratification to the US Constitution.

Senator Kiffmeyer does not agree this should happen.  She said that things are getting better for women slowly and that, “It should bubble up from the bottom.”  She used her own family as an example, how her grandmother, mother and sisters all worked hard and did well.  We can appreciate that Senator Kiffmeyer her family have certainly worked hard and accomplished much to be proud of.  However, every woman has a different set of circumstances and may not be able to overcome the obstacles in her way.  Nor should any woman have to accept not having the same rights as men, earning less than a man for the same job, being charged more for insurance, etc.  Senator Kiffmeyer has the opportunity to help other women and vote yes to amend the constitution so that women are not punished for simply being female.  There is so much evidence that even today women have to work twice as hard as a man to get ahead.

We as women owe a debt to the women before us who in their fight for women’s suffrage marched and rallied, were beaten and imprisoned so we would have the right to vote.  Other women before us fought against the odds and won elections to serve in the government that paved the way for Senator Kiffmeyer.  Aren’t we charged with paying it forward to future generations of women to make the world a better, more fair place with equal rights for all citizens?

If you are a woman or a man who cares about the females in your life, your mother, wife, sister, daughter, girlfriend, or friend, know that Senator Kiffmeyer who should be working to make our lives better, protecting citizens and working to insure that all citizens are treated fairly will not support amending the constitution to insure that you or the women in your life have the same rights as men.  But there are many women and men in this state and this country who are continuing to fight for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.  You can learn more about the ERA (www.eramn.org), watch the documentary “Equal Means Equal” (www.equalmeansequal.com), talk to your family and friends, contact your legislators and demand that they support the ERA and VOTE for the person who supports the things that are important to you.  Then hold them responsible for what they say, how they behave and how they vote.  Our lives are literally in their hands.
A short history: The ERA was first introduced in Congress by Alice Paul in 1923.  It was finally passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification.  Thirty-eight states were needed to ratify it to make it law, however a time limit of 1979, later extended to 1982, was placed on the ERA, only one of two amendments that has ever required a time limit. In 1973 Minnesota ratified the ERA but did not go through the process of adding it to the Minnesota Constitution. By 1982 only 35 states had ratified the amendment, 3 states short.  For over 30 years the ERA was shelved, however there is a new movement to see it ratified.  People across the US are calling for the removal of the 1982 deadline and push to get it ratified fully.  This movement is having great success.  In 2017 Nevada became the 36th state to ratify.