A constitutional amendment is a change to the constitution of a country or state. Amendments are typically enacted by the legislature in a process similar to passing a normal law. Amendments usually take effect immediately upon being ratified by three-fourths of the states, though they may self-impose a delay (such as happened in the case of the Twenty-seventh Amendment). Once an amendment is ratified it becomes an official Article of the Constitution and can no longer be changed or repealed. A ratified amendment is usually formally certified or proclaimed by an official of the federal government (the Secretary of State, the Administrator of General Services, and now the Archivist of the United States), and the amendment can then be found in the Constitution under 1 U.S.C
The terms of the President and Vice President shall end on the 20th day of January and the term of Senators and Representatives shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January of the year following such an election, unless otherwise provided by law. This Amendment would establish the date that Congress assembles each year, when the terms of their successors begin, and when presidential elections are to be held.
This Amendment would limit the number of terms a person can serve as President to two and require a quorum for presidential elections by states (two-thirds of all of the electoral votes of the states) and in the House of Representatives (one-third of all of the electors). It also establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President and responding to a presidential disability. It also lowers the voting age to eighteen years and prohibits denying citizens of the District of Columbia voting rights on the basis of failure to pay taxes. This Amendment would also prevent laws varying the compensation for members of Congress from taking effect until after the next election of representatives has occurred.
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