House gives final passage to Equal Rights Amendment in Del.

DOVER, Del. – Delaware’s Constitution now includes protections against discrimination for people of all ethnicities.

This comes after the House unanimously passed an Equal Rights Amendment on Thursday.

Senate Bill 31 adds the words “race, color, and national origin” to the state Constitution’s equal rights clause, making the document more inclusive, spelling out protections as described in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This bill is one of eight proposals included in the Justice for All Agenda laid out by the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus.

Thursday’s approval in the House follows a successful unanimous vote in the Senate last week. With the passage of this bill, Delaware joins a handful of states that include provisions in their own constitutions to prohibit the denial or abridgment of equal rights under law on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

In 2019, lawmakers passed an Equal Rights Amendment to the state Constitution, guaranteeing protections against discrimination based on sex.