Twenty-Seventh Amendment - Congressional Compensation
Original Text
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 Plain Language
Congress cannot give itself an immediate pay raise. Any salary change takes effect only after the next House election, so voters can respond before the raise kicks in.
Historical Significance
Congressional pay raises can't take effect until after the next election. James Madison proposed this on September 25, 1789. Michigan ratified it on May 7, 1992 — 203 years later, the longest ratification in history.
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Historical Context
James Madison proposed this amendment in 1789 as part of the original Bill of Rights package. Twelve amendments went to the states; only ten passed. The congressional pay amendment got no response and sat dormant for nearly two centuries.
In 1982, University of Texas sophomore Gregory Watson wrote a paper arguing the amendment could still be ratified since it had no expiration deadline. His professor, Sharon Waite, gave him a C. Watson launched a ten-year campaign, writing state legislators across the country. Michigan became the 38th state to ratify on May 5, 1992—203 years after Madison first proposed it—and the Twenty-Seventh Amendment became law. Watson finally got his grade changed to an A+ in 2017.
How This Shows Up Today
Congress sidesteps the amendment through automatic cost-of-living adjustments that technically take effect only after the next election cycle. The amendment's real legacy is what its ratification proved: constitutional amendments never expire unless Congress sets a deadline.
ERA advocates cite this precedent, arguing the Equal Rights Amendment—proposed in 1972 with a deadline later extended, and ratified by the required 38 states by 2020—should be law. In January 2025, President Biden declared the ERA "the law of the land," but the National Archivist hasn't certified it, and the Trump administration has indicated it doesn't consider the ERA validly ratified. The legal fight over the ERA's status continues.
Congressional pay at $174,000 since 2009
Automatic COLA adjustments debated
Congressional salary freeze debates
Discussion Questions4
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