The Legislative Process in NYS: Women’s Fight for Equal Rights

We all know that, despite past and recent efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, our nation still has not been successful in achieving this essential measure to guarantee equal rights for women. But did you know that even though 26 states have amended their state constitutions to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, New York is not one of them? Since the 1970s, NYS legislators have tried numerous times, unsuccessfully, to pass an ERA prohibiting sex and gender- based discrimination. This program will provide a first-hand account of the early battles for passage of the federal ERA and will discuss two ERA bills currently pending before the New York State Assembly and Senate and the hurdles we still face to passage of either. 

Speakers

Hon. Elizabeth Holtzman, Herrick Feinstein LLP

Professor Katherine M. Franke, Columbia Law School

Kaelyn E. Gustafson, Esq., Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

State Senator Liz Krueger, New York State Senate

Lourdes M. Rosado, Esq., LatinoJustice PRLDEF