--- title: SR 202. Equal Rights Amendment; proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution; ratify collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr202 cite_as: SR 202, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr202 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr202.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr202/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70440 date: 2025-02-19 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr201.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr203.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr202.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 202 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-18 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Sally Harrell - Gail Davenport - Kim Jackson - Tonya Anderson - Elena Parent - Nan Orrock - Sonya Halpern - Kenya Wicks - Donzella James - Nikki Merritt - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Freddie Sims text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR202/2025 upstream_id: 1974367 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Equal Rights Amendment - women's rights - U.S. Constitution - sex discrimination - legislative resolutions --- # SR 202. Equal Rights Amendment; proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution; ratify ## Text Senate Resolution 202 By: Senators Harrell of the 40th, Davenport of the 17th, Jackson of the 41st, Anderson of the 43rd, Parent of the 44th and others A RESOLUTION To commemorate the Equal Rights Amendment as the law of the land; to ratify a proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which ensures equality under the law and ends discrimination on account of sex, has been ratified by the necessary states and confirmed as part of the United States Constitution; and WHEREAS, both houses of the 92nd Congress of the United States of America, by a constitutional majority of two-thirds, adopted the following resolution proposing to amend the United States Constitution: RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED (TWO-THIRDS OF EACH HOUSE CONCURRING THEREIN), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress: ARTICLE....... Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification; and WHEREAS, on January 17, 2025, President Joe Biden declared that the Equal Rights Amendment is officially the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution; and WHEREAS, the ratification of the ERA is a long-awaited and monumental victory in the advancement of equal rights for American women, marking the fulfillment of a promise to secure equal rights for all women under the law; and WHEREAS, this achievement reflects decades of tireless advocacy and activism by individuals and organizations, who have fought relentlessly for the passage of the ERA; and WHEREAS, the ERA guarantees that no individual shall be denied or abridged of their rights based on sex, strengthening the protections of liberty and justice for all enshrined in our Constitution; and WHEREAS, the passage of the ERA is an affirmation of the United States' commitment to human rights, equality, and the pursuit of justice for all; and WHEREAS, the ratification of the ERA strengthens our nation's commitment to eliminate the unjust discrimination against women in all areas of life, including but not limited to employment, education, healthcare, and in the home; and WHEREAS, the United States joins the leading countries of the world in codifying equal rights for all women; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly of Georgia acknowledges the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and its confirmation as part of the Constitution of the United States, celebrates the achievement of this milestone, recognizes the ongoing work of those who advocated for equal rights for all Americans, and commits to continuing efforts to support and implement the values of fairness, equality, and justice for all under the law; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly of Georgia finds that the proposed amendment is meaningful as part of the Constitution of the United States and that the present political, social, and economic conditions demonstrate that constitutional equality for women and men continues to be a timely issue in the United States. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the said Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby ratified and adopted. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this resolution be forwarded by the Governor to the President of the United States, the Secretary of State of the United States, and the Archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records Administration, pursuant to 1 U.S.C. Code Section 106b and 112, which shall serve as official notice that the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America is hereby ratified by the Georgia General Assembly. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution would have the General Assembly formally ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment and send certified notice to federal officials that Georgia supports it as the 28th Amendment. ### Plain-language summary The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed addition to the U.S. Constitution that says equal rights cannot be denied or abridged because of sex. Congress passed it in 1972, and this resolution recites that it has since been ratified by enough states, and that President Biden declared it the 28th Amendment in January 2025. This Georgia Senate resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it has the General Assembly officially ratify and adopt the ERA on Georgia's behalf, and 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. The resolution cites federal law (1 U.S.C. §§ 106b and 112) as the basis for that notice process. ### What it does - Has the Georgia General Assembly formally ratify and adopt the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. - Directs the Governor to send a certified copy of the resolution to the President of the United States as notice of Georgia's ratification. - Directs the Governor to send the same certified copy to the U.S. Secretary of State and the Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration. - States the General Assembly's position that constitutional equality regardless of sex remains a timely issue, without creating any new state law or program. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily affects the Georgia General Assembly's official record and federal officials who receive its notice, including the Governor's office, the President, the U.S. Secretary of State, and the National Archives. It does not directly regulate Georgia residents, businesses, or agencies. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a bill amending Georgia statutes, it does not change any Georgia law or create enforceable rights. Its practical effect is symbolic and procedural: it places Georgia on record supporting the ERA and formally notifies federal officials of that position. ### Key provisions - The preamble recites the ERA's 1972 congressional passage, its text guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex, and its 2025 recognition as the 28th Amendment. - The first resolving clause states that the General Assembly of Georgia ratifies and adopts the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution. - The second resolving clause directs the Governor to forward a certified copy of the resolution to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Archivist of the United States. - Cites 1 U.S.C. §§ 106b and 112 as the federal provisions under which the certified copy serves as official notice of ratification. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-18) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-19) - Sponsors: Sally Harrell, Gail Davenport, Kim Jackson, Tonya Anderson, Elena Parent, Nan Orrock, Sonya Halpern, Kenya Wicks, Donzella James, Nikki Merritt, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Freddie Sims - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70440 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr202.md?full=1