Congress Moves to Officially Validate Long-Awaited Constitutional Amendment, Nullifying 1982 Deadline

This Joint Resolution is essentially a procedural clean-up bill with massive constitutional implications. It states that the proposed amendment sent to the states back in 1972 is now officially ratified and part of the U.S. Constitution. The key move here is that Congress is explicitly blowing up any time limits that might have been attached to the original proposal, specifically saying that even if states took longer than initially allowed, the ratification is valid as long as three-fourths of the states have approved it.

The Deadline That Doesn't Matter Anymore

Think of this like a contract that had a strict expiration date, but one of the parties (Congress) is now saying, "We’re ignoring that date, the contract is still good." Back when Congress passed the original amendment (House Joint Resolution 208), it included a deadline for ratification, which was later extended but ultimately expired in 1982. This new resolution simply says that deadline is null and void. The moment the 38th state ratified the amendment, the constitutional requirement of three-fourths approval was met, regardless of the calendar.

What This Means for the Constitution

For most people, constitutional law feels abstract, but this is about finalizing a change that affects core rights. This resolution clears the procedural hurdles that have kept the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in legal limbo for decades. If you’re an employer, an employee, or anyone dealing with state and federal laws, the final inclusion of the ERA means constitutional rights are now explicitly guaranteed regardless of sex. This move resolves the uncertainty, ensuring the amendment's status is solid and beyond procedural challenge based on the long-expired timeline.

Who This Impacts Right Now

The immediate impact is procedural finality. For those who have been fighting for the ERA for years, this is the procedural victory that makes it official. For states that opposed the amendment or argued that the deadline had passed, this resolution takes away their main procedural argument. It affirms the actions of the state legislatures that voted to ratify, validating their democratic decision even if it came after the original, now-discarded deadline. In short, this bill is the final stamp on a decades-long process, confirming that the required number of states have spoken, and Congress is recognizing that voice.