Whip Count

House Bill 1: The Equal Rights Amendment

If you thought Delaware already guaranteed women equal rights under the law, well you wouldn't be the only one. But it wasn't until this year that lawmakers passed an Equal Rights Amendment, enshrining equality under the law for Delaware women.
 
The fight for women's equality has been 100 years in the making, with Delaware lawmakers paving the way in 1972 by ratifying the federal ERA. Unfortunately, the federal ERA never became a reality, so Delaware had to take on the issue and run with it. Today, the state ERA is law. To give us the history, we spoke to a retired judge, our House Majority Leader, and a family member of a 1972-era legislator who led the charge.

It Starts with an Idea: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Every bill starts with an idea, Schoolhouse Rock taught us that. But there may be plenty of things that go on behind the scenes that not everyone gets to see. Consider this a crash course in what happens in-between an idea and a law. This is the inaugural episode of Whip Count, a podcast by the Delaware House Democratic Caucus. Join an issue advocate, a cabinet secretary, a state representative, a legislative drafting lawyer, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Clerk of the House, and the Governor of Delaware to learn the ins and outs of the legislative process.