Bill Text: HI HCR100 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The Hawaii Congressional Delegation To Propose And Support Resolutions Offering Amendments To The United States Constitution To Clarify That Corporations Are Not Human Beings With Constitutional Rights And That Governments May Limit Corporate Political Expenditures.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-13 - Referred to JUD, FIN, referral sheet 29 [HCR100 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-HCR100-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	100
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE HAWAII CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO PROPOSE AND SUPPORT RESOLUTIONS OFFERING AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO CLARIFY THAT CORPORATIONS ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS WITH CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND THAT GOVERNMENTS MAY LIMIT CORPORATE POLITICAL EXPENDITURES.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the corporate power that can be exerted with unlimited corporate political spending is a vital concern to the people of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the introduction of unlimited corporate money into candidate elections would irrevocably change the dynamic of contests for Hawaii political office; and

 

     WHEREAS, with the infusion of unlimited corporate money in support of or opposition to a targeted candidate, the average citizen candidate in Hawaii would be unable to compete against the corporate-sponsored candidate, and Hawaii citizens would be effectively shut out of the process; and

 

     WHEREAS, unlimited corporate donations have a dominating impact on the Hawaii political process and inevitably minimize the impact of individual Hawaii citizens; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii traditions support the policy that each elected and appointed officer, whether acting on a state or federal level, should advance the philosophy that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights; and

 

     WHEREAS, each elected and appointed officer should act to prohibit, whenever possible, corporations from making contributions to or expenditures for the campaigns of candidates or ballot issues; and

 

     WHEREAS, when carrying out their respective duties, all elected and appointed officers should remember that the people of Hawaii:

 

     (1)  Regard money as property, not speech;

 

(2)  Regard the rights under the United States Constitution as rights of human beings, not rights of corporations;

 

(3)  Regard the immense aggregation of wealth that is accumulated by corporations using advantages provided by the government to be corrosive and distorting when used to advance the political interests of corporations;

 

(4)  Intend that there should be a level playing field in campaign financing that allows all individuals, regardless of wealth, to express their views to one another and their government; and

 

(5)  Intend that a level playing field in campaign financing includes limits on overall campaign expenditures and limits on large contributions to, and expenditures for, the benefit of any campaign by any source, including corporations, individuals, or political committees; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the Senate concurring, that Hawaii's congressional delegation is urged to propose a joint resolution offering an amendment to the United States Constitution that accomplishes the following:

 

(1)  Supersedes the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission;

 

(2)  Establishes that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights;

 

(3)  Establishes that campaign contributions or expenditures by corporations, whether to candidates or ballot issues, may be prohibited by a political body at any level of government; and

 

(4)  Achieves a level playing field in election spending; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Hawaii's congressional delegation is requested to work diligently to bring such a joint resolution to a vote and passage, including use of discharge petitions, cloture, and every other procedural method to secure a vote and passage; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Hawaii's congressional delegation is requested to vote in favor of ratifying any amendment to the United States Constitution that is consistent with the principles and values aforementioned; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to each member of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

United States Constitutional Amendment; Congressional Delegation; Citizens United