Thirty-three Amendments to the Constitution Have Been Approved by Congress

[W. Gray]

Constitutional amendments are not taken lightly are they?

About 11,000 Constitutional amendments have been introduced in Congress over the years.

Some Constitutional amendment proposals have included electing the President and Vice President by a national lottery, doing away with the Army and Navy, balancing the budget, banning divorce, and prohibiting public drunkenness. One even called for changing the name of the United States of America.

In 2006, a Flag Desecration Amendment won approval in the House but came up short one vote in the Senate.

The principal method of Constitutional amending is that a Senator or Representative may introduce a proposal in Congress. Two-thirds of each house has to approve. The proposed amendment must then be approved by three-fourths of the states.

Thirty-three of the 11,000 amendments introduced, have been approved by Congress.

Twenty-seven of the Thirty-Three have been approved by the necessary three-fourths of the states.

One amendment cancelled another amendment out. (Think prohibition)

Six amendments to the Constitution have been adopted in my lifetime (22nd through 27th). The 27th and last amendment to be adopted was approved by Congress in 1789 and became part of the Constitution in 1992. (How is your memory on what this one did?)

Four amendments are still awaiting approval by the states.

Two amendments are dead and can never be adopted unless Congress goes through the proposal process again.

Four amendments waiting for approval:
Congressional Apportion Amendment, approved by Congress in 1789. Eleven states have approved.
Titles of Nobility Amendment, approved by Congress in 1810. Twelve states have approved.
Corwin Amendment, approved by Congress in 1861. Three states have approved.
Child Labor Amendment, approved by Congress in 1924. Twenty-eight states have approved.

Two amendments dead:
In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was the first amendment to be approved by Congress that had a time limit for approval. The original deadline was 1979 but was extended to 1982 and then died with only 35 of the 38 states needed providing their approval. Efforts in Congress to reapprove an ERA amendment have failed.

D.C. Statehood Amendment was approved by Congress in 1978 with a 1985 deadline for state's approval. Only 16 did.

[Diane Amberg]

 Number 27. Congressional salaries?