US Congress House Joint Resolution 48 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 65-1)
Status: Introduced on January 30 2017 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2017-02-08 - Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Pending: House Subcommittee on the Constitution And Civil Justice Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment providing that: (1) the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only; (2) artificial entities (such as corporations, limited liability companies, and other entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state) shall have no rights under the Constitution and are subject to regulation by the people, through federal, state, or local law; and (3) the privileges of such artificial entities shall not be construed to be inherent or inalienable. The amendment requires federal, state, and local government to: (1) regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures, to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have access to the political process and that no person gains, as a result of that person's money, substantially more access or ability to influence the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot measure; and (2) require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed. The judiciary is prohibited from construing the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.

Rep. Richard Nolan [D-MN]	Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN]	Rep. Matthew Cartwright [D-PA]	Rep. Keith Ellison [D-MN]
Rep. Mark Pocan [D-WI]	Rep. Mark Takano [D-CA]	Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR]	Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR]
Rep. Beto O'Rourke [D-TX]	Rep. Louise Slaughter [D-NY]	Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ]	Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]
Rep. John Conyers [D-MI]	Rep. Eliot Engel [D-NY]	Rep. Paul Tonko [D-NY]	Rep. Jamie Raskin [D-MD]
Rep. Ro Khanna [D-CA]	Rep. Michael Capuano [D-MA]	Rep. Ted Lieu [D-CA]	Rep. Donald Norcross [D-NJ]
Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC]	Rep. Don Beyer [D-VA]	Rep. Jose Serrano [D-NY]	Rep. Jared Huffman [D-CA]
Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC]	Rep. Suzanne Bonamici [D-OR]	Rep. Danny Davis [D-IL]	Rep. Derek Kilmer [D-WA]
Rep. Alma Adams [D-NC]	Rep. Pramila Jayapal [D-WA]	Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-OH]	Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN]
Rep. Ron Kind [D-WI]	Rep. Tulsi Gabbard [D-HI]	Sen. Peter Welch [D-VT]	Rep. Elijah Cummings [D-MD]
Rep. Suzan DelBene [D-WA]	Rep. Jackie Speier [D-CA]	Rep. Seth Moulton [D-MA]	Rep. Janice Schakowsky [D-IL]
Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-OH]	Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]	Rep. Karen Bass [D-CA]	Rep. Ed Perlmutter [D-CO]
Rep. Adam Smith [D-WA]	Rep. Al Lawson [D-FL]	Rep. Mark DeSaulnier [D-CA]	Rep. Joseph Kennedy [D-MA]
Rep. Niki Tsongas [D-MA]	Rep. Stephen Lynch [D-MA]	Rep. Katherine Clark [D-MA]	Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI]
Rep. Denny Heck [D-WA]	Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA]	Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO]	Rep. William Keating [D-MA]
Rep. Judy Chu [D-CA]	Rep. Tim Ryan [D-OH]	Rep. Chellie Pingree [D-ME]	Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard [D-CA]
Rep. Doris Matsui [D-CA]	Rep. Alan Lowenthal [D-CA]	Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee [D-TX]	Rep. Andre Carson [D-IN]
Rep. Elizabeth Esty [D-CT]	Rep. Nanette Barragan [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2017-02-08	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
2017-01-30	House	Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2017-01-30	House	Introduced in House

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-joint-resolution/48/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hjres48/BILLS-115hjres48ih.pdf