Women's Equality Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Judiciary.
Women's Equality Act - Confers jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide for injunctive relief against sex discrimination in public accommodations. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute suits to eliminate sex discrimination in public facilities and public education. Extends the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to include sex discrimination. Prevents sex discrimination in federally assisted programs. Insures equal employment opportunity in the hiring of State and local government employees. Removes the exemption of educational institutions from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cease and desist powers. Prohibits sex discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing or in the provision of brokerage services. Applies the equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act to women in all occupations and positions. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make matching grants to States for the establishment of commissions on the status of women. Authorizes the Secretary of HEW to pay up to fifty percent of the cost of commissions, boards, and advisory panels established by the legislatures or Governors of the several States to study any of the following subjects; (1) the denial of equal protection of the laws to women under the laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, or procedures of the State or of any political subdivision thereof; (2) private discrimination against women, especially denial of equal employment opportunity, equal access to public accommodations and services, and equal educational opportunity; or (3) affirmative steps necessary by public officials and private citizens to insure equality of opportunity to women and equal participation by women in all aspects of national and State life. Requires the Secretary to make recommendations to equalize the treatment of the sexes under the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Family Assistance Act. Requires the Commissioner of Education to conduct a survey and report to Congress on the denial of equal educational opportunity because of sex and make recommendations to eliminate such denial.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 3, 1973. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on January 3, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JONATHAN BINGHAM (D-NY) introduced it on January 3, 1973. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 3, 1973, 19655 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19655 days ago, on January 3, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers