How Long Will Passing the Amendment Take?

The process of amending the Constitution has taken anywhere from under 1 year to over two hundred years. The 27th Amendment, which prohibits congressional pay raises from taking effect in the term in which they are enacted, was proposed in 1791 as part of the original Bill of Rights, but was not ratified by the requisite number of states until 1993. Most amendments proposed in recent history are written with an expiration date so that if they are not ratified within the set time limit (usually 7 years), the amendment becomes void. At this time, the proposed Parental Rights Amendment resolution contains no such time limit on ratification.