Senate fails to advance Equal Rights Amendment
CBSN
The Senate on Thursday failed to advance a resolution that would have removed a 1982 deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment has been ratified by 38 states — the three-fourths necessary to amend the Constitution — but a few of the states had voted to ratify it after the 1982 deadline.
The bill failed to advance in a 51-47 vote, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer changing his vote at the last minute to keep it open for debate. The bill had two GOP sponsors, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, but it failed to win the support of any other Republicans.
Democrats do not have all 51 members voting on the floor right now because Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been out while she recovers from shingles. Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also was not present for the vote.
