On the recordMay 12, 2016
I thank the gentlewoman for always sharing with us in our Special Order Hour her wisdom, experience, unique observations, recommendations, and proposals. I thank the gentlewoman very much. Mr. Speaker, let me add just one more thought to this topic. This week we demonstrated that bipartisanship is still possible on issues that matter to the American people. We need to take that same spirit and apply it to the countless other issues that have always been bipartisan. Restoring the Voting Rights Act, for one; addressing the significant dangers of a virus, in this instance, of the Zika virus is another illustration; and passing a budget that creates jobs and grows paychecks for American workers. As we now shift topics here, Mr. Speaker, there is another issue that this body has been avoiding for decades. A few months ago, I joined my colleagues on the floor of the House to urge the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. We are here again, Mr. Speaker, and we will keep coming back until it is done. We have been avoiding ensuring protection for women in the Constitution for almost 100 years, and with enduring biases and discrimination against women, there is no better time than now. The ERA would give Congress the constitutional grounds to pass legislation that gives women victimized by gender-based violence recourse in Federal court and restoring elements of the Violence Against Women Act that have been deemed invalid by the Supreme Court.…
