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Amendments For Us In Kings
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Multi-State
County:
Kings
Control #:
US-000280
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FAQ
Under Article V of the Constitution, there are two ways to propose and ratify amendments to the Constitution. To propose amendments, two-thirds of both houses of Congress can vote to propose an amendment, or two-thirds of the state legislatures can ask Congress to call a national convention to propose amendments.
As the charter for a government with plenary powers, state constitutions tend to be longer and more frequently changed than the difficult-to-amend federal Constitution, the charter for a government with only enumerated powers.
The most common method of amending state constitutions is through popular initiatives. Popular initiatives have been most successful when the measure seeks to limit the power of legislators. State constitutional conventions have lost favor with both legislators and voters in recent years.
The U.S. Constitution is difficult to change and has only been amended 27 times. State constitutions, on the other hand, are much easier to modify, and state constitutional amendments are adopted on a regular basis. The current constitutions of the 50 states have been amended around 7,000 times.
It would be a rare person indeed who would accurately respond that the guarantee to each state of equal suffrage in the Senate is the only constitutional provision that is now expressly unamendable under the Constitution's own terms.
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.
The amendment process is very difficult and time consuming: A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, then ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. The ERA Amendment did not pass the necessary majority of state legislatures in the 1980s.
It is deliberately difficult to amend in order to prevent corrupt politicians from depriving citizens of their rights and establishing a tyrannical government. That is why it requires 75% of the states to ratify any amendment. It's difficult to get two thirds of states to agree to anything.
Congress may submit a proposed constitutional amendment to the states, if the proposed amendment language is approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Congress must call a convention for proposing amendments upon application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states (i.e., 34 of 50 states).
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.