Dear Friend,

The Virginia General Assembly made history this week, when it voted to make Virginia the 38th and final state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

The ERA is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. The ERA will give women additional legal protections in critical matters such as gender-based violence and sex discrimination at work, including accommodations for pregnant women and equal pay.

More than 96 years after it was first proposed, the ERA has now been ratified by the required 38 states. In the Senate, I’m proud to sponsor a bipartisan resolution to immediately remove the ratification deadline for the ERA and eliminate any ambiguity that may exist at the federal level in order to make the ERA the law of the land.

I’m glad Virginia has joined a majority of the states in supporting the full and equal protection of women under our Constitution, and I’m committed to doing everything I can in the Senate to see this to completion.

Now I want to hear from you: will you take my survey below and let me know your thoughts on Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment?

If you want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,