HJR35 Summary

• Alabama ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was proposed by Congress on March 22, 1972 and has been ratified by 38 state legislatures

• The amendment guarantees that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex

• Congress and the several States are granted power to enforce the amendment through appropriate legislation, with the amendment taking effect two years after ratification

• Arguments supporting ratification note that the time limit for ratification (June 30, 1982) is in the resolving clause rather than the amendment text itself and may therefore be disregarded under precedent established in Coleman v. Miller, 307 U.S. 433 (1939)

• Copies of the resolution must be transmitted to the President, Congress, National Archives, state officials, and Alabama's Congressional Delegation