U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, voted against a resolution that would have eliminated the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

The ERA is back in the news after Virginia on Jan. 27 became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, which would prohibit discrimination based on sex. Constitutional amendments require ratification by three-quarters of the states.

The original deadline for ratification was in 1982. Last month, the U.S. Justice Department issued a memo, saying that because the deadline has expired, it is too late to ratify the amendment. However, supporters say that the deadline was contained in the preamble to the amendment and should not be considered legally binding, according to a news release.

The vote passed 232-183 with only five Republicans voting for it.

Stefanik said in a Facebook post that she has a record of supporting initiatives like equal pay for equal work and paid leave for working parents, but she did not support this bill.

“As it stands, this legislation is unconstitutional, and I agree with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: the process for the Equal Rights Amendment began nearly five decades ago, and it needs to start over. I remain committed to working together and with our colleagues across the aisle to accomplish meaningful reforms that achieve equality,” she wrote.

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Women’s history museum

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Stefanik voted in favor of a bill that would establish a comprehensive women’s history museum in the Smithsonian Institution.

The legislation would establish a council that would make recommendations on the planning, design and construction of the museum, according to Congress.gov. The council will also designate a site for the museum with priority given to a site on or near the National Mall.

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Homeland Security for Children Act

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Stefanik voted in a favor of a bill to direct the Department of Homeland Security to review and incorporate feedback from organizations representing the needs of children.

The purpose is to help children prepare for and recover from natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other manmade disasters, according to Congress.gov.

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Enforcing dairy labeling standards

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Stefanik has signed onto a letter to new Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Steve Han, urging him to take action to enforce standards about how genuine dairy products are labeled. Stefanik also has co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit the sale of any food that uses the market name of a dairy product but does not come from an animal and does not contain milk as its primary ingredient, according to news release.

“For far too long, the FDA has failed to combat the misuse of dairy terms on non-dairy products,” Stefanik said in a news release. “Not only does this cause confusion among consumers, but it also puts our North Country dairy farmers at a disadvantage in the grocery store. Real dairy products come from real cows, and they should be the only products labeled as ‘milk.’ I will continue to be an outspoken advocate and urge FDA to enforce existing law.”

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Counting military ballots

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Stefanik has co-sponsored legislation to make Express Mail labels available to deployed active duty members of the military serving in embassies, consultants or diplomatic posts.

This will make sure that their absentee ballots are delivered in time by Express Mail to be counted, according to a news release.

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Seeking care for ‘Agent Orange’ veterans

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U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the federal government to approve Veterans Administration care and compensation for local veterans with specific health conditions as a result of their exposure to Agent Orange.

Schumer appeared with Vietnam veterans at the Joseph E. Zaloga American Legion Post in Albany to ask the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Affairs to add bladder cancer and hypothyroidism to the conditions that are considered associated with exposure, as well as clarifying that Parkinson’s-like symptoms should also be considered eligible.

A 2016 National Academies report found evidence that these conditions resulted from Agent Orange exposure. However, the federal government has not yet taken action, according to a news release from Schumer’s office.