Existing comment:
How We Amend
There are two parts to the amending process: proposing and ratifying.
An amendment is proposed when:
(1) Two-thirds of both houses of Congress pass it. All 27 ratified amendments have been proposed this way.
or
(2) Two-thirds of state legislatures submit an application to Congress, and then Congress calls a convention where amendments can be proposed by the states. To date, this has never happened.
An amendment is ratified when:
(1) Three-fourths of state legislatures vote to ratify the amendment.
or
(2) Conventions vote to ratify the amendment in three-fourths of the states.
After the required number of states ratify, the Archivist of the United States certifies the amendment as part of the Constitution.
Amendments vs. Laws:
Amendments change the fundamental structure, powers, or protected rights of the government or citizens. They change how the government itself works. To ensure that such fundamental changes are not made in haste, two-thirds of both houses of Congress and three-quarters
of the states (or conventions) must pass an amendment.
Laws are passed by Congress with a simple majority vote, then approved by the President. They can be changed by passing another law. |