What is the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution?
Q: What is the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution?
A: The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution (Amendment XXVII) has to do with the salaries paid to members of the United States Congress.
Q: How long are terms for members of Congress?
A: Members of the United States Senate serve six-year terms, and members of the United States House of Representatives serve two years each.
Q: What does the Twenty-seventh Amendment say?
A: The Twenty-seventh Amendment says that no law can change Congresspeople's salaries until a new two-year term for Representatives starts.
Q: When was this amendment added to the Constitution?
A: As of 2022, it is the last amendment that has been added to the Constitution. It took longer for states to ratify this amendment than any other in history, and was not officially added until May 7, 1992.
Q: When did Congress first send out this proposed amendment?
A: The 1st United States Congress sent out this proposed amendment on September 25, 1789.
Q: How long did it take for enough states to ratify this amendment?
A: It took 202 years, 7 months, and 12 days –the longest in United States history -for enough states to ratify this amendment so that it could be added to the Constitution.
