H.C.R. No. 145
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Through a persistent decade-long crusade that
culminated in changing the U.S. Constitution, Gregory D. Watson of
Austin has earned the unique distinction of completing what
Founding Father James Madison left unfinished as well as
successfully getting the overall course grade for his 1982
University of Texas at Austin government class elevated from a C to
an A after the intervention of 35 years; and
WHEREAS, In the spring of 1982, Mr. Watson, then a UT
student, was enrolled in a Government 310 course on American
government; while researching a term paper on the proposed Equal
Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, he happened upon some
old constitutional amendments that had been proposed by Congress
but not ratified by enough state legislatures to officially become
part of the federal Constitution; and
WHEREAS, One such amendment, dated 1789, mandated that any
approved congressional pay raise not take effect until after the
next biennial election; the measure specifically reads that "No
law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and
Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of
Representatives shall have intervened"; only nine states had
ratified that measure by 1978, and ratification by three-fourths of
the states is required before an amendment to the Constitution can
be certified; at the same time, the compensation amendment included
no ratification deadline, in contrast to amendments proposed since
the year 1917, when Congress began the practice of including a
provision requiring that proposed federal constitutional
amendments be ratified by the states within seven years; and
WHEREAS, Inspired to change the focus of his research,
Mr. Watson submitted a paper suggesting that unratified
constitutional amendments from before 1917, which did not contain
the built-in time limit, could still be ratified, even 200 years
later, if they received the support of enough states; he further
noted in the paper that there continued to be concerns among the
American people relative to the methods used by members of Congress
to increase congressional salaries; the course instructor and her
teaching assistant were not convinced, however, and Mr. Watson
received a grade of C for the paper and a final grade of C for the
course overall; and
WHEREAS, Shortly afterward, in April 1982, Mr. Watson
embarked upon a labor-intensive campaign to prove the thesis of his
paper; he began the 10-year process of writing letters to
legislators in states across the nation, urging them to consider
ratifying the measure, and by May 5, 1992, Alabama lawmakers
furnished the pivotal 38th ratification, thus making it the 27th
Amendment to the Constitution; since then, eight more states have
ratified the amendment--most recently Nebraska in 2016--bringing
the total to 46 of the 50 states; and
WHEREAS, Impressed by what she publicly described as
Mr. Watson's "heroic effort" to prove the validity of his thesis,
his former professor has officially requested that his grade for
Government 310 be raised from a C to an A; Mr. Watson was informed
of her decision in March 2017, when he was invited to attend what he
thought would be a mere Q and A about his work on the 27th Amendment
and unexpectedly found his campaign being recounted in Pop-Up
Magazine, a live news program performed onstage and resembling a
stand-up comedy routine; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Watson has continued to be engaged in federal
constitutional amendment issues: in 1995, at his prompting, the
Mississippi Legislature symbolically post-ratified the
Constitution's 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery; at his urging,
the Tennessee General Assembly ceremonially post-ratified the 15th
Amendment in 1997, extending the right to vote to former male
slaves; and, at his behest, the Texas Legislature, in 2009,
formally endorsed the end of poll taxes by post-ratifying the 24th
Amendment; furthermore, references to Mr. Watson's constitutional
amendment-related activities are chronicled in countless books,
newspapers, magazines, law reviews, video and audio recordings,
resolutions, and entries in the Congressional Record; and
WHEREAS, Gregory Watson's dogged determination resulted in a
significant change in this nation's founding document, and he may
indeed take great pride in his achievement and in his demonstration
of what committed civic engagement can accomplish; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby congratulate Gregory D. Watson on receiving a revised grade
of A in his 1982 Government 310 class at The University of Texas at
Austin--albeit after the intervention of 35 years--and extend to
him sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Watson as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives and Senate.
Klick
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 145 was adopted by the House on May
25, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 145 was adopted by the Senate on May
26, 2017, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor