RICHMOND, Va. — The Equal Rights Amendment is continuing to advance in the Virginia Legislature, where its passage is all but certain.
A House committee on Tuesday approved a resolution to ratify the gender equality measure that could become the next amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The 13-9 vote split along party lines, with all Democrats supporting it and all Republicans opposing it.
A Senate committee already advanced a similar resolution. The resolutions are now before the full House and Senate.
Even if it's ratified in Virginia, the amendment is far from being a done deal. Court battles are expected nationwide over a long-passed 1982 deadline set by Congress.