Malcolm Rivera
The most recent amendment to the United States Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII), also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789. It was certified on May 18, 1992, by the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, and published in the Federal Register the following day. The amendment 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. It was one of the first amendments proposed in 1789 but was not ratified by enough states to come into force until much later.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Amendment | Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII) |
| Date Proposed | June 8, 1789 |
| Date Passed by Congress | N/A |
| Date Ratified | May 18, 1992 |
| Number of States Ratifying | 38 |
| States That Did Not Ratify | Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania |
| Subject Matter | Congressional Compensation |
| Legal Effects | Congressional cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) upheld based on this amendment |
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What You'll Learn
The Twenty-seventh Amendment
The amendment was first proposed by Representative James Madison of Virginia, who introduced it in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. Madison intended to address the issue of congressional pay and prevent Congress from having unlimited power over their salaries. He also did not want the President to control congressional salaries, as that would give the executive branch too much influence over the legislative branch.
The amendment was passed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress in 1789 and submitted to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789. However, it was initially only ratified by six states, and it was largely forgotten until 1982 when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing for its ratification.
On May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, certified that the amendment had been ratified by the required number of states, with Alabama being the 38th state to ratify it. This certification was published in the Federal Register, and on May 20, 1992, Congress declared the ratification to be legal, officially adding the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution.
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The Bill of Rights
The most recent amendment to the US Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, or Amendment XXVII, which was certified on May 18, 1992, by the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson. This amendment 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.
Now, onto The Bill of Rights.
The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights". The amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the right to publish, practice religion, possess firearms, assemble, and other natural and legal rights.
The concepts codified in these amendments are built upon those in earlier documents, especially the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), the Northwest Ordinance (1787), the English Bill of Rights (1689), and the Magna Carta (1215).
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Congressional Compensation Act of 1789
The most recent amendment to the United States Constitution, the 27th Amendment, was ratified on May 7, 1992. However, it was originally proposed on September 25, 1789, along with the Bill of Rights. This amendment, known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, relates to the compensation of members of Congress.
The Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, or the 27th Amendment, states: "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened." In simpler terms, this amendment ensures that any changes to the salary of members of Congress will not take effect until the next election of representatives has taken place. The rationale behind this amendment was to prevent members of Congress from enacting immediate salary increases for themselves, thus removing any potential for self-serving legislation.
The amendment was proposed by James Madison, who believed that the power to set salaries should be in the hands of the people, and that representatives should not be able to enact self-serving legislation. Madison proposed a total of 12 amendments to the Constitution, of which 10 were ratified and became the Bill of Rights. The Congressional Compensation Act was one of two that were not initially ratified.
It lay dormant for many years, until in the 1980s, a university student named Gregory Watson wrote a paper arguing that the amendment should be ratified. This sparked a movement that led to the amendment finally being ratified in 1992, over 200 years after it was first proposed.
The 27th Amendment is a unique part of the US Constitution, with a long and complex history. It stands as a testament to the enduring nature of the Constitution and the ability of citizens to effect change through democratic processes.
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The Archivist of the United States
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was one of the first proposed amendments, submitted to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789, by the 1st Congress, along with 11 other proposed amendments (Articles I-XII). The last ten Articles were ratified in 1791 to become the Bill of Rights, but the Twenty-seventh Amendment and the proposed Congressional Apportionment Amendment were not ratified by enough states to come into force at that time.
The proposed congressional pay 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 had actually been ratified by the necessary number of states. This led to a renewed effort to ratify the amendment, and on May 5, 1992, Alabama became the 38th state to ratify it, finalising its addition to the Constitution.
The role of the Archivist of the United States in the constitutional amendment process is significant. When an amendment is proposed and sent to the states for ratification, the Archivist is responsible for overseeing the ratification process and ensuring it is carried out according to the provisions of the Constitution. Once an amendment has been duly ratified, the Archivist issues a certificate proclaiming that it has become an operative part of the Constitution. This certificate is then published in the Federal Register, as was done with the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
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The process of amending the constitution
The most recent amendment to the US Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789. It was certified on May 18, 1992, by the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson.
The process of amending the US Constitution is a difficult and time-consuming task. The authority to amend the Constitution comes from Article V of the Constitution. The Constitution has been amended only 27 times since it was drafted in 1787, with the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being adopted and ratified in 1791.
An amendment can be proposed by the US Congress, with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Alternatively, it can be proposed by a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states). However, this option has never been used.
Once an amendment is proposed, it is sent to the states for ratification. The Archivist of the United States is responsible for administering the ratification process, and upon being properly ratified, the Archivist issues a certificate proclaiming that the amendment has become an operative part of the Constitution.
To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-quarters of the states (38 states). This can be done through the legislatures of three-quarters of the states or state ratifying conventions in three-quarters of the states. The amendment process also has a time limit, with Congress stipulating that an amendment must be ratified within seven years of its submission to the states.
The process of amending the US Constitution is designed to be challenging, ensuring that any changes made are well-considered and have a significant impact on the nation.
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Frequently asked questions
The most recent amendment to the US Constitution is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, which was certified on May 18, 1992.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives.
An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or state ratifying conventions.
Since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789, 33 amendments have been proposed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Of these, 27 have been ratified by the requisite number of states and are now part of the Constitution.
