[Deschler-Brown Precedents, Volume 17, Chapters 34 - 40]
[Ch. 34. Constitutional Amendments]
[A. Introduction]
[Â§ 2. Form of Action]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


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                               CHAPTER 34
 
                       Constitutional Amendments
 
                            A. Introduction
 
Sec. 2. Form of Action

    Proposals originating in the Congress for amendments to the 
Constitution are made in the form of joint resolutions, which have 
their several readings and, if passed by both Houses, are enrolled and 
signed by the presiding officers of the two Houses but are not 
presented to the President for approval.(1)
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 1. House Rules and Manual Sec. 191 (2007).
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    The form of the resolving clause for such a joint resolution is as 
follows:

        Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
    United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each 
    House concurring therein),

    This adheres to the form for the resolving clause for all joint 
resolutions(2) with the addition of the parenthetical phrase 
relating to the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds margin in 
each House for passage of such a joint resolution, which has been 
included in all joint resolutions proposing constitutional amendments 
that have been ratified.(3)
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 2. See 1 USC Sec. 102.
 3. See, e.g., H.J. Res. 27 of the 80th Congress, which became the 22d 
        Amendment, the resolving clause of which is set out at 93 Cong. 
        Rec. 863, 80th Cong. 1st Sess., Feb. 6, 1947; S.J. Res 39 of 
        the 86th Congress, which became the 23d Amendment, the 
        resolving clause of which is set out at 106 Cong. Rec. 1257, 
        86th Cong. 2d Sess., June 14, 1960; S.J. Res. 29 of the 87th 
        Congress, which became the 24th Amendment, the resolving clause 
        of which is set out at 108 Cong. Rec. 17655, 87th Cong. 2d 
        Sess., Aug. 27, 1962; S.J. Res. 1 of the 89th Congress, which 
        became the 25th Amendment, the resolving clause of which is set 
        out at 111 Cong. Rec. 7969, 89th Cong. 1st Sess., Apr. 13, 
        1965; and S.J. Res. 7 of the 92d Congress, which became the 
        26th Amendment, the resolving clause of which is set out at 111 
        Cong. Rec. 7570, 89th Cong. 1st Sess., Mar. 23, 1971.

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