041 of 2019 - Support of Ratification by Utah of the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution R 19-1
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SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
egt1(Ut11111 41 of 2019
Resolution in Support of Ratification by Utah of the
Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution
WHEREAS, equality under the law is a fundamental value of Americans and the people of
Salt Lake City;and
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution does not explicitly guarantee equal rights and
equal protection for the sexes;and
WHEREAS, legislation and court decisions have increased women's access to education,
employment,and public service;and
WHEREAS, that same legislation can be repealed and the Supreme Court could strike
legislation or retreatfrom its own precedent,thereby eliminating or abridging
legal rights currently enjoyed by women,girls,and their families;and
` WHEREAS, inclusion of the Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution would require
courts to apply the same strict level of scrutiny it applies to test the
constitutionality of government action based on race,religion,or national
origin;and -
WHEREAS, Americans value the continued participation of women in education,the
military,public service,and other spheres of our society;and
WHEREAS, the people of the United States continue to experience the negative effects of lack
of political parity between men and women,workplace discrimination,
ihealthcare inequities,disparate rates of poverty,rape and domestic violence
j assaults;and
WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment(ERA)would help ensure women and men have
{ the same constitutional protections;and
WHEREAS, the Utah State Legislature unanimously passed a Joint Resolution Reaffirming
the Value of Women in 2019,which states in part:
"...that the Legislature recommends that the language and
intent of the Utah Constitution provision guaranteeing equal
political rights be included in the United States Constitution";
and
WHEREAS, the Utah Constitution,Article IV,Section 1(adopted in 1895),states:
"The rights of citizens of the State of Utah to vote and hold office
shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex.Both male and
female citizens of this State shall enjoy equally all civil,political
and religious rights and privileges";and
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r WHEREAS, constitutional equality for women and men continues to be timely in the United
States and worldwide,and a number of other nations have achieved
constitutional equality for their women and men;and
WHEREAS, the ERA was passed by Congress in 1972,and has been ratified by 37 states,the
most recent being Nevada in 2017 and Illinois in 2o18,.and
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FHWEREAS,
SALT AKE CITY :'ORPORATION
the founders of our nation,including,but not limited to,James Madison,did not
favor further restrictions to Article V of the Constitution of the United States
(which outlines the process of amending the Constitution);and
WHEREAS, the restricting time limit for the Equal Rights Amendment ratification is in the
resolving clause and is not apart of the amendment proposed by Congress and
already ratified by 35 states;and
WHEREAS, having passed a time extension for the Equal Rights Amendment on October 20,
1978,Congress has demonstrated that a time limit in a resolving clause can be
disregarded if it is not a part of the proposed amendment;and
WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment states,in full:
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.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED
that the Salt Lake City Council supports ratification of the Equal Rights
Amendment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
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that the Salt Lake City Council urges the Utah State Legislature to ratify the
Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S.Constitution,as proposed by Congress on w>
March 22,1972,during the Legislature's 2020 general session.
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C li e,Chair Ja Rogers,Vice Chair
Salt Lake gity,Council- �m r,District Six alt Lake City Council Member,Digrict One
ndrew Johnston Chris larton
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Lake City iincil Member,District Two Salt Lake City Council Member,District T e
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Ana Vald morns Erin Mend
` Sa[t Lake 'ty ncil her,District Four Salt La Qf r,District Fiv
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I Amy F � 3�
Salt Lake City Council ember,District Seven ,;Ti':
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Adopted this tenth day of December 2019.