Eleanor Finch
The most recent amendment to the US Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789. The amendment was proposed in 1789 and finally ratified in 1992, making it the most recently adopted amendment. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. This amendment aims to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII) |
| Other Names | Congressional Compensation Act of 1789 |
| Year Proposed | 1789 |
| Year Ratified | 1992 |
| Purpose | To reduce corruption in the legislative branch |
| Content | No law varying the compensation for the services of Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of Representatives has occurred |
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What You'll Learn
The Twenty-seventh Amendment
The proposed amendment was largely forgotten until 1982, when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper for a government class in which he claimed that the amendment should be ratified. Watson's campaign gained traction in 1983 and 1984, with Maine and Colorado becoming the first new states to ratify the amendment in response. On May 7, 1992, Michigan became the thirty-eighth state to ratify the amendment, and on May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, certified that the amendment's ratification had been completed. On May 20, 1992, Congress declared the ratification to be legal, and the amendment officially became part of the Constitution.
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Reducing corruption in Congress
The most recent amendment to the US Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789. This amendment was proposed by Representative James Madison of Virginia in 1789, along with 11 other amendments, and was finally ratified in 1992.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment aims to reduce corruption in Congress by requiring that any changes to the compensation of Senators and Representatives must not take effect until after the next election of Representatives. This gives the public an opportunity to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
While the amendment was one of the first proposed, it lay dormant for almost 80 years as it lacked a time limit for ratification. In 1982, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, Gregory Watson, wrote a paper arguing for the ratification of this amendment to curtail political corruption. Watson's efforts gained traction, and by 1992, 46 out of 50 states had ratified the amendment.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment demonstrates the importance of addressing corruption in Congress. Here are some additional measures that could be implemented to further reduce corruption:
- Strict Campaign Finance Regulations: Enforce strict limits on campaign contributions and require full transparency in political donations. This includes disclosing the sources of funding for political advertisements and lobbying efforts.
- Robust Ethics and Conflict of Interest Guidelines: Establish comprehensive ethics guidelines for members of Congress, including strict rules on conflicts of interest. This could involve regular financial disclosure requirements and independent oversight to ensure compliance.
- Enhanced Lobbying Disclosure Laws: Strengthen lobbying disclosure laws to increase transparency. This includes requiring lobbyists to register, disclose their clients, and regularly report their activities and expenditures.
- Independent Redistricting Commissions: Establish independent redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering, which can dilute the impact of votes and distort fair representation.
- Strengthen Congressional Ethics Enforcement: Empower the Office of Congressional Ethics to initiate investigations and enforce penalties for ethical violations, ensuring that members of Congress are held accountable for their actions.
- Publicly Funded Elections: Consider implementing a system of publicly funded elections, where qualified candidates receive a set amount of public money for their campaigns. This could reduce the influence of special interests and level the playing field for candidates.
By implementing these measures, Congress can further reduce corruption and restore trust in the legislative process. It is essential to uphold the integrity of our democratic institutions and ensure that elected officials act in the best interests of their constituents.
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Congressional Compensation Act of 1789
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, commonly known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution. It was first proposed in 1789, along with 11 other amendments (Articles I–XII), but it was not ratified until May 7, 1992.
The Congressional Compensation Act of 1789 states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. The amendment aims to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
The amendment was one of several proposed by Representative James Madison of Virginia on June 8, 1789. Madison intended for it to be added to the end of Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that "The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States". After being referred to a committee, the proposal was debated by the full House and passed on August 24, 1789, along with 16 other articles of amendment. The proposals then went to the Senate, which made 26 substantive alterations before approving a package of 12 articles of amendment on September 9, 1789.
On September 25, 1789, the 1st Congress submitted the amendment to the states for ratification, along with 11 other proposed amendments. However, it was largely forgotten, and only seven states ratified it through 1792. The amendment was revived in 1982 when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper claiming that the amendment was still pending ratification. Watson's efforts sparked a movement to curtail political corruption by ratifying the amendment, and it was finally ratified in 1992.
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The long road to ratification
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may take effect only after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred.
The road to the ratification of the Twenty-seventh Amendment was a long and winding one. It was first proposed in 1789 by Representative James Madison of Virginia, who introduced it along with several other proposed amendments to the Constitution. Madison intended for it to be added to Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which addresses the compensation of Senators and Representatives. After some revisions and debates, the amendment was passed by the House and sent to the Senate. However, the Senate made further alterations, and on September 9, 1789, they approved a package of 12 articles of amendment, including what would become the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
On September 25, 1789, the 12 proposed amendments were submitted to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified 27 months later. However, the Twenty-seventh Amendment and the proposed Congressional Apportionment Amendment did not receive enough support from the states to come into force. Over the next few decades, the proposed amendment lay dormant, with only six states voting for ratification by 1873.
In 1982, the amendment gained new life when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing for its ratification as a way to curb political corruption. Watson's efforts sparked a nationwide movement, and by 1992, 46 out of 50 states had ratified the amendment. On May 20, 1992, Congress voted unanimously in the Senate and 414 to 3 in the House to accept the Twenty-seventh Amendment as validly approved, officially making it part of the Constitution.
The ratification process for the Twenty-seventh Amendment was highly unusual, taking over 200 years from its initial proposal to its final approval. It set a unique precedent, meeting both the textual requirements of Article V and the structural argument for a national consensus of supermajority proportions.
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The Twenty-seventh Amendment today
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. The amendment aims to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment has a unique history. It was first proposed by James Madison in 1789, along with eleven other amendments, ten of which were ratified in 1791 to become the Bill of Rights. However, the Twenty-seventh Amendment was not ratified by enough states at that time. It was largely forgotten until 1982 when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper about it for a government class. Watson then launched a campaign to get three-quarters of the states to ratify the Amendment. By 1992, the required number of states had passed the Amendment, and it was declared legally ratified by the Archivist of the United States.
The ratification process of the Twenty-seventh Amendment has been controversial. Some scholars argue that there should have been simultaneous approval by two-thirds of both Houses of Congress and three-quarters of the states, which did not occur due to changes in the composition of Congress and the number of states over time. Despite this objection, the Amendment was declared legally ratified, and Congress unanimously approved a resolution agreeing that the ratification was valid.
Today, the Twenty-seventh Amendment remains a part of the United States Constitution. It serves as a check on congressional power over their salaries and provides an avenue for the public to hold their representatives accountable. The amendment's impact on congressional behaviour is unclear, but it continues to shape discussions around congressional compensation and the role of public service.
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Frequently asked questions
The Twenty-seventh Amendment is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was first proposed in 1789, along with 11 other amendments.
The amendment states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may take effect only after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred.
The idea behind the amendment was to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was ratified in 1992, after a long and unusual process.
