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December 11, 2018 WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed in 1972 by Congress, which imposed a seven-year ratification deadline on states, later extended to ten years; and WHEREAS, the Constitution does not expressly authorize Congress to impose ratification deadlines on the states, and, moreover, if Congress does have such power, then it also has the power to extend or eliminate its deadlines; and WHEREAS, the American Bar Association reaffirmed its support for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in 2016; and WHEREAS, well after the 1982 deadline set by Congress, Nevada in 2017 and Illinois in 2018 ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, bringing the total number of states that have ratified the amendment to 37, just one shy of the 38 needed to satisfy the Constitutional requirement that an amendment be ratified by three-fourths of the states to become valid; and WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment states: Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia that it supports the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council urges the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as proposed by Congress on March 22, 1972, during the 2019 legislative session; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Manager is directed to deliver a copy of this Resolution to the members of the City’s General Assembly delegation.” Ayes: Clark, Lucas-Burke, Moody, Psimas, Smith, Rowe Nays: None 18 - 472 - Adoption of a resolution endorsing the 2019 Virginia Municipal League Legislative Program. Background:  The Virginia Municipal League (VML) is a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of city, town and county governments established in 1905 to improve and assist local governments through legislative advocacy, research, education and other services.  For over a century the VML and its member cities, towns and counties have worked together to improve the quality of life in communities across Virginia.  Each year VML works in conjunction with its members and its policy committees, legislative committee, and executive committee to develop a formal legislative program for the coming session of the General Assembly. Discussion:  The 2019 VML Legislative Program includes five “Top Legislative Priorities”: (1) providing promised state funding assistance for local police departments; (2) increasing funding for schools to cover the true costs of public education, including transportation, staffing, technology, and capital needs; (3) improving access to mental health services; (4) restoring funding for social services; and (5) increasing funding for public transit.