27th Amendment Ratified
https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=5355
General Information
Source:
Creator:
Event Date:
Air/Publish Date:
NBC Today Show
Ann Curry/Andrea
Mitchell
05/07/1992
05/07/1992
Resource Type:
Copyright:
Copyright Date:
Clip Length
Video News Report
NBCUniversal Media,
LLC.
1992
00:01:21
Description
The 27th Amendment, which prevents members of Congress from raising their own pay, is the most
recent amendment to the Constitution. It took more than 200 years to ratify, having first been submitted
by James Madison in 1789.
Keywords
Constitution, 27th Amendment, Twenty-Seventh Amendment, Congressional Pay, Pay Raise, Congress,
Ratification, Constitutional Amendment, James Madison, Michigan, John Boehner
Citation
MLA
"27th Amendment Ratified." Andrea Mitchell, correspondent. NBC Today Show. NBCUniversal Media. 7
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 2
May 1992. NBC Learn. Web. 20 March 2015
APA
Mitchell, A. (Reporter), & Curry, A. (Anchor). 1992, May 7. 27th Amendment Ratified. [Television series
episode]. NBC Today Show. Retrieved from https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k12/browse/?cuecard=5355
CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE
"27th Amendment Ratified" NBC Today Show, New York, NY: NBC Universal, 05/07/1992. Accessed
Fri Mar 20 2015 from NBC Learn: https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=5355
Transcript
27th Amendment Ratified
ANN CURRY, anchor:
The state of Michigan has ratified what could be the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. But, as Andrea
Mitchell reports, it's unclear whether the measure, which would prevent members of Congress from
raising their own pay, will ever take effect.
Unidentified Man #1: The resolution's adopted!
ANDREA MITCHELL reporting:
When Michigan became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, it was official. A few hours later, New
Jersey added its voice, one more state than was needed.
Written by James Madison, the idea was simple, a pay raise should not go into effect until after the next
election so that the voters could have their say.
But it failed to be ratified by enough states, even though Congress wasn't all that popular even back then.
When the Senate voted itself a pay raise late one night last July, public outrage boiled over. Some
Congressional scholars say the amendment is not valid because it took too long to ratify.
Mr. THOMAS MANN (Brookings Institution): It stretched over a period exceeding two centuries. I think
on the legal merits, it would be judged not timely and therefore not a valid Constitutional amendment.
MITCHELL: Freshmen Republicans vowed to fight for it.
Representative JOHN BOEHNER (Republican, Ohio): I hope that the bureaucrats and the nay-sayers will
not try to steal this victory from the American people.
MITCHELL: It took 200 years longer than expected, but politicians are not likely to challenge this
amendment given the current political climate. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, at the Capitol.
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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