OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL MAYOR
May 23,2018
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution concerning the Equal Rights Amendment. Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, on March 22,1972 a proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution stating that the equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex ("Equal Rights Amendment") was adopted by the 92nd Congress of the United States; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Article V of the United States Constitution the Equal Rights Amendment was put to the Legislatures of the several states for ratification, needing three-fourths of all the states to ratify in order to be adopted; and
WHEREAS, to date thirty-six states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, leaving the Amendment two states short of what is necessary for ratification; and
WHEREAS, on May 12,1980, 50,000 women gathered in Grant Park to advocate for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment; and
WHEREAS, on April 13, 2018, the Illinois Senate adopted Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4 concerning the Equal Rights Amendment; and
WHEREAS, a two-thirds majority of the Illinois House of Representatives is necessary in order for the State of Illinois to officially ratify the Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of Illinois to date has been unwilling to articulate his position on the Equal Rights Amendment; and
WHEREAS, in the forty-six years since the Amendment was put to the states, despite progress, discrimination against women continues to be an issue of paramount importance in the workplace, in education, and in the halls of government, showing that full equality for women continues to be a dream but not a reality in the United States; and
WHEREAS, both the Illinois State C...
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