{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/sjres4-114/featured_a-joint-resolution-proposing-an-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-to-restore-the-rights-of-the-1454546850.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/sjres4-114/featured_large_a-joint-resolution-proposing-an-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-to-restore-the-rights-of-the-1454546850.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/sjres4-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-21","title_override":"Amending the Constitution to Prevent Political Spending by Corporations and PACs","summary_override":"

This resolution would amend the U.S. Constitution to keep non-persons (like corporations or political action committees (PACs)) from legally making political contributions that influence the outcomes of public elections.

In effect, it would negate the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United v. FEC case. The 2010 decision held that political expenditures by corporations and organizations are protected speech under the First Amendment.

Further, this resolution declares that nothing in this constitutional amendment should be interpreted as restricting the power of Congress and States to enact legislation aimed at:

Protecting the integrity and fairness of the electoral process;
Limiting the corrupting influence of private wealth in public elections;
Guaranteeing the dependence of elected officials on the people alone.

Under this bill, Congress and states would be empowered to:

Establish public financing systems for elections;
Impose requirements ensuring the disclosure of contributions and expenditures made to influence the outcome of a public election by candidates, individuals, and associations of individuals;
Create content neutral limitations on all such contributions and expenditures.

Congress states that nothing in this constitutional amendment should be construed as effecting freedom of the press.

In order for this resolution to become a constitutional amendment, two-thirds of both the House and Senate must approve of the proposal, and three-fourths of the state legislatures (currently 38) must ratify the amendment.

","official_title":"A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to restore the rights of the American people that were taken away by the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case and related decisions, to protect the integrity of our elections, and to limit the corrosive influence of money in our democratic process.","short_title":null,"popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Constitutional Amendment\n\nDeclares that, whereas the right to vote in public elections belongs only to natural persons as U.S. citizens, so shall the ability to make contributions and expenditures to influence the outcome of public elections belong only to natural persons.\n\nDeclares that nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to restrict the power of Congress and the states to protect the integrity and fairness of the electoral process, limit the corrupting influence of private wealth in public elections, and guarantee the dependence of elected officials on the people alone by taking certain actions.\n\nIncludes among such actions: (1) the establishment of systems of public financing for elections; (2) the imposition of requirements to ensure the disclosure of contributions and expenditures made to influence the outcome of a public election by candidates, individuals, and associations of individuals; and (3) the imposition of content neutral limitations on all such contributions ...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"People in the U.S. — especially those who vote, run for office, or make political expenditures; corporations and political organizations such as PACs; state legislatures, and Congress.","argument_for":"The Supreme Court got it wrong on Citizens United. The only way to restore the integrity of elections in the U.S. is to amend the Constitution to keep corporations and PACs from spending insane sums of money to influence elections.","argument_against":"The First Amendment protects all political speech — whether it comes from a person, a political group, or a corporation. Not only that — it’s unlikely that this bill will get the support of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the state legislatures.","bill_type":"sjres","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"sjres4-114","bill_id":"sjres4-114","formal_id":"S. 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Amending the Constitution to Prevent Political Spending by Corporations and PACs