DOVER, Del. (AP) - The state House has approved a proposed amendment to Delaware's constitution guaranteeing equal rights based on sex.
The measure easily cleared the House on Thursday, one day after the Senate recalled and revised it.
The bill had failed to win Senate passage last month amid Republican concerns about possible hidden motives, such as guaranteeing taxpayer funding for abortions or granting special rights to transgender people.
The revised legislation includes language that clarifies the intent of the legislation and states that the amendment applies only to the state and its political subdivisions, not private entities. The clarifying language also notes that a declaration of rights does not require the state to fund the exercise of those rights.
The legislation now faces a second round of approval in the next General Assembly.