Governor Joins Coalition Fighting for Recognition of Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly has signed onto an amicus brief along with 18 states and the District of Columbia urging the National Archives and Records Administration to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“After generations of fighting for equal treatment and nearly 50 years after Kansas first passed the Equal Rights Amendment, the required 38 states have ratified it, and the Amendment should take its rightful place in the Constitution,” Governor Kelly said. “Kansas will join the chorus of other states proclaiming that equal rights belong to all Americans, regardless of sex.”

The amendment, which was initially proposed in 1972, reads simply, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Kansas was one of the first seven states to approve the amendment, just days after it was proposed, at the urging of the late Governor Robert Docking.

The lawsuit asks the courts to direct the Archivist of the United States to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. He argues that time has expired and that the amendment is dead, even though the required three-quarters of states have passed it.

“In the year 2020, the fact that women and men are equal should not be controversial, but women still face discrimination, earn less than their male counterparts and are underrepresented in public life,” Governor Kelly said. That is why I’ve committed to addressing the gender parity on our state boards, it’s why I fight for women’s rights to their own healthcare decisions, and it’s why I am signing onto this lawsuit today.”

The lawsuit—Virginia v. Ferriero, Case No. 1:20-cv-242-RC—is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Joining the amicus brief are Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

The brief can be found here.

Governor Kelly Announces FY 2021 Allotment Plan

Governor Laura Kelly announced today her final plan for adjustments to the FY 2021 budget, which begins on July 1, 2020.

“COVID-19 has created new economic challenges for our state,” said Governor Kelly. “However, the hard work that was done last year to restore fiscal stability prevented this unprecedented situation from being much worse. While we had to make hard choices, I’m pleased that this plan will preserve critical funding for Kansas schools, our infrastructure, and business recruitment tools. Kansas will undoubtedly feel the economic effects of COVID-19, but by preserving our core services, we will be better positioned for economic recovery and to continue growing when this virus is behind us.”

Kelly’s allotment plan totals a little more than $704 million and includes items that will require approval from the Legislature when they return in January. The largest portion of the plan proposes to delay the $132 million payment to the Pooled Money Investment Board for FY 2021 and requests an additional loan of $132 million, for a total of $264 million.

“I want to thank Larry Campbell and his team for their work identifying items that minimize the direct impact on Kansans, and I look forward to working with the 2021 Legislature to put together a bipartisan budget, said Governor Kelly.”

Allotment plans are provided for under K.S.A. 75-3722 when deemed necessary and beneficial to the state by the Director of the Budget.

The view the FY 2021 Governor’s State General Fund Allotment Plan, click here.