The Fountain Hills Town Council is joining with other communities around the state in urging the Arizona State Legislature to become the 38th and final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The council voted 6-0 at its Oct. 15 session to approve the resolution aimed at guaranteeing equal rights for men and women. Vice Mayor Sherry Leckrone was absent.

Mayor Ginny Dickey said 16 communities in Arizona have adopted the resolution at the behest of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, which made passage of the amendment part of its legislative agenda for this coming session.

League Director Ken Strobeck was at the council meeting and said the resolution came from the group’s policy committee. Strobeck also noted that the Constitutional Amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1923, fast approaching 100 years ago. It was reintroduced in 1971 and was approved by the House of Representatives in October that year. On March 22, 1972 it was approved by the Senate, referring it to the state legislatures for ratification. It received approval from 35 states by the end of 1977. Over the past 42 years it has not received the needed three more states to become Constitutional law.

Also present at the council meeting was Anissa Rasheta from the board of directors for ERA Task Force AZ.

The amendment is seeking ordinary equal rights under the law, speaking primarily to sex discrimination, Rasheta said.

Arizona has never had a vote to bring the amendment to the floor, according to Rasheta. It was introduced by District 23 Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita last session, but it never made it to a hearing. She has indicated her intention to bring it up again this coming session.

“We want to show legislators that there are enough constituents who care about this,” Rasheta said. “Rights for women have come piecemeal over the years and many of those may not be permanent.

“Stand with other communities to show the legislature you think this is important.”