Democrats have argued that some women still do not receive equal pay for the work they do, and that Congress needs to act to ensure women's rights are guaranteed in the country's founding document.



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The proposal is a continuation of the ERA that was first introduced in 1923, but which failed to be ratified by two-thirds of the states in the 1970s. Most of the language in Maloney's proposal is the same as the proposal from 1923."Women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction," the amendment reads. "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."Congress and the several States shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."The amendment would take effect two years after being ratified by the states.