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27th Amendment

Text of 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 38
State of New Jersey
 
INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 1992
By Senators CORMAN and BUBBA
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ratifying a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibiting a law which varies the compensation of members of the U.S. Congress from taking effect until an election of representatives shall have intervened.
WHEREAS, in 1789, the First Congress referred to the states, without restriction upon the time to be available for its consideration, the following proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
“No law, varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened”; and
WHEREAS, This amendment was one of twelve proposals submitted to the states pursuant to an understanding among the Framers that our federal Constitution should provide, not only for the distribution of the powers of government, but also for the protection of the rights of the people against the misuse of those powers; and
WHEREAS, Although this proposed amendment was not among the ten initially ratified as the “Bill of Rights”, it remains properly subject to ratification by those states which have not yet approved it; and
WHEREAS, A corresponding provision (Art. IV, Sec. IV, par. 8) governing increases and decreases in the compensation of members of the Senate and General Assembly of this State was adopted as part of New Jersey’s Constitution of 1947; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey, on behalf of the State of New Jersey, does hereby ratify the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which was passed by the First Congress in 1789 and which is reproduced in the preamble to this concurrent resolution.
2. The Secretary of State of the State of New Jersey is directed to notify the Archivist of the United States of the action taken by the Legislature of the State of New Jersey with respect to this proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States. [pg. 1]
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution ratifies a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution to prohibit any law changing Congressional pay from taking effect until an election of Congressmen has intervened.
This proposed amendment was originally put forth in 1789 as the second amendment in the “Bill of Rights.” Ten of the first 12 proposed amendments to the Constitution were ratified by the states. This one was not, but proponents argue that since no time limit was placed upon its passage, it may still be voted upon.
Thirty-eight states are presently required to ratify a proposed amendment in order for it to become part of the United States Constitution. As of August 1, 1991, this amendment had been ratified by 35 states, namely, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Ratifies proposed amendment to U.S. Constitution prohibiting law which varies compensation of members of U.S. Congress from taking effect until election of representatives shall have intervened.[pg. 2]
SENATE No. S.C.R. 38
SENATE,
May 7, 1992.
This bill having been three times read in the Senate,
RESOLVED, That the same do pass.
By order of the Senate.
Donald DiFrancisco, President of the Senate  
GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
May 7, 1992.
This bill having been three times read and compared in the General Assembly,
RESOLVED, That the same do pass.
By order of the General Assembly.
Garabed Haytaian, Speaker of the General Assembly  [pg. 3]

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