Ahead of this year’s legislative session, Republican leadership in Virginia has assigned the equal rights amendment to committee. It will go before a Republican who has not been supportive in the past.
Last year Republican Delegate Mark Cole didn’t even give the ERA a hearing in his committee -- Privileges and Elections.
But this year there’s been a greater bipartisan push for Virginia to become the 38th, and final state, to ratify an equal rights amendment for women. Kati Hornung has led that effort.
“Every time it has gone to Delegate Cole it has just gotten kept of the docket and it can’t ever go to the floor if it doesn’t get on to the docket,” says Hornung.
A spokesman for Republican Speaker of the House Kirk Cox didn’t give any indication as to whether the committee placement signals a lack of support for the bill, but Hornung is staying hopeful.
“I wouldn’t even call it a setback, I’d almost call it kind of business as usual in the House of Delegates.”
According to a recent poll from Christopher Newport University, 81-percent of Virginians support the ERA.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
