Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States waiving the application of the first article of amendment to the political speech of corporations and other business organizations with respect to the disbursement of funds in connection with public elections and granting Congress and the States the power to establish limits on contributions and expenditures in elections for public office.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Constitutional Amendment
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that states that the First Amendment to the Constitution does not apply to the political speech of any corporation, partnership, business trust, association, or other business organization with respect to the making of contributions, expenditures, or other disbursements of funds in connection with public elections.
The amendment grants Congress the power to set limits on the amounts of contributions and expenditures with respect to candidates in a federal election.
The amendment grants states the power to set limits on the amounts of contributions and expenditures with respect to candidates in a state or local election.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 39 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 39

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States waiving 
  the application of the first article of amendment to the political 
speech of corporations and other business organizations with respect to 
   the disbursement of funds in connection with public elections and 
   granting Congress and the States the power to establish limits on 
     contributions and expenditures in elections for public office.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2019

 Ms. Kaptur (for herself and Ms. Norton) submitted the following joint 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States waiving 
  the application of the first article of amendment to the political 
speech of corporations and other business organizations with respect to 
   the disbursement of funds in connection with public elections and 
   granting Congress and the States the power to establish limits on 
     contributions and expenditures in elections for public office.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled   (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. The first article of amendment does not apply to the 
political speech of any corporation, partnership, business trust, 
association, or other business organization with respect to the making 
of contributions, expenditures, or other disbursements of funds in 
connection with public elections.
    ``Section 2. Congress shall have power to set limits on the amount 
of contributions that may be accepted by, and the amount of 
expenditures that may be made by, in support of, or in opposition to, a 
candidate for nomination for election to, or for election to, Federal 
office.
    ``Section 3. A State shall have power to set limits on the amount 
of contributions that may be accepted by, and the amount of 
expenditures that may be made by, in support of, or in opposition to, a 
candidate for nomination for election to, or for election to, State or 
local office.
    ``Section 4. Congress shall have power to implement and enforce 
this article by appropriate legislation.''.
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