The 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on May 7, 1992. It states that any change in the compensation for members of the U.S. Congress cannot take effect until after the next election of representatives. This means that if Congress votes to increase their pay, they will not receive that increase until after the next election cycle. Originally proposed in 1789, the amendment was part of a larger set of amendments known as the Bill of Rights. It took over 200 years for the amendment to be ratified, highlighting the importance of checks and balances in the legislative process.