SR202: SR202 Equal Rights Amendment; proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution; ratify

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed federal constitutional amendment barring denial of equal rights on account of sex, first passed by Congress in the early 1970s but never ratified by enough states within the original deadline. This resolution states that the ERA has now been ratified by the necessary number of states and treats it as part of the U.S. Constitution, citing a January 17, 2025 statement by President Biden calling it the 28th Amendment. The resolution then has the Georgia General Assembly formally ratify and adopt the amendment itself. It directs the Governor to send a certified copy of the resolution to the President, the U.S. Secretary of State, and the National Archives as official notice of Georgia's ratification. As a resolution rather than a bill, it does not change any Georgia statute; it expresses the General Assembly's position and formal ratification action.

• Declares that the Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by the required number of states and is part of the U.S. Constitution.
• Has the Georgia General Assembly formally ratify and adopt the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• Directs the Governor to send a certified copy of the resolution to the President, the U.S. Secretary of State, and the National Archivist as official notice of Georgia's ratification.
• Recites findings that constitutional equality for women and men remains a timely issue, without creating any new Georgia law or funding.

The resolution primarily affects the Governor's office, which must transmit certified copies to federal officials, and speaks broadly to the legal status of sex-based equality protections under the U.S. Constitution as they would apply to all Americans, including Georgians.

Because this is a resolution, it does not itself change Georgia law or federal law; its practical effect is a formal statement of the General Assembly's position and a notice sent to federal officials. Whether the ERA is legally part of the Constitution remains a matter of ongoing federal dispute.

• The preamble (whereas clauses) quotes the original 1972 congressional joint resolution proposing the ERA, including its three sections on equal rights, congressional enforcement power, and a two-year effective delay after ratification.
• Cites President Biden's January 17, 2025 declaration that the ERA is the 28th Amendment as the basis for treating it as already part of the Constitution.
• The first resolving clause has the Georgia General Assembly ratify and adopt the proposed amendment.
• The second resolving clause directs the Governor to forward a certified copy of the resolution to the President, the U.S. Secretary of State, and the Archivist of the United States, citing 1 U.S.C. §§ 106b and 112, as official notice of Georgia's ratification.

1. 2025-02-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)Primary sponsor
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Donzella James (D, SD-028)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)

• Equal Rights Amendment
• women's rights
• U.S. Constitution
• sex discrimination
• legislative resolutions