PHILADELPHIA — Progressive activists in Congress have put mounting pressure on President Joe Biden to direct the archivist of the United States to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment — which would become the first explicit mention of women in the U.

The Equal Rights Amendment, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. Congress set a deadline of 1979 for three-quarters of state legislatures to ratify the amendment, then extended it to 1982.

Official White House photographers share exclusive images with PEOPLE, capturing memories from Joe Biden's time as president of the United States

Del. Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), the first Black person to serve as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, was convicted in 1994 of a non-violent federal drug-related offense.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott was pardoned Sunday by President Joe Biden for a felony drug conviction Scott received in 1994 while he was a law school student.