Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the permissible sources of funding for elections for public office and State ballot measures.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that limits the permissible sources of funding for elections to public office and state ballot measures. Specifically, funding to support or oppose a campaign for election to public office may only be provided through (1) contributions by individual citizens to the principal campaign committee controlled by the candidate, or (2) a public election financing or voter education system. Funding to support or oppose a state ballot measure may only be provided through (1) contributions by individuals eligible to vote on the measure, or (2) through a public election financing or voter education system.
Congress, the states, and local jurisdictions must establish contribution limits.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 73 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 73

    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
 regarding the permissible sources of funding for elections for public 
                   office and State ballot measures.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2019

Mr. McNerney (for himself and Ms. Kaptur) 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 
 regarding the permissible sources of funding for elections for public 
                   office and State ballot measures.

    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 only source of funding to directly or indirectly 
support or oppose a campaign for election to public office shall be 
either contributions by individual citizens to the principal campaign 
committee controlled by the candidate or funds provided under a system 
of public election financing or voter education established by 
Congress, the State, or other jurisdiction as appropriate.
    ``Section 2. The only source of funding that may be used to 
directly or indirectly support or oppose a ballot measure to amend a 
State constitution or other initiatives or referenda shall be either 
contributions made by individuals who are eligible to vote on the 
measure or funds provided under a system of public election financing 
or voter education established by the State.
    ``Section 3. Congress, the States, and local jurisdictions shall 
establish limits on the amount of contributions individuals may make 
with respect to a single campaign for election to Federal, State, or 
local office, respectively, including limits on the amount of 
contributions an individual who is a candidate for such office may make 
with respect to the individual's own campaign, and the States and local 
jurisdictions shall establish limits on the amount of contributions 
individuals may make with respect to a ballot measure.
    ``Section 4. Congress and the States shall have the power to carry 
out this article through appropriate legislation.
    ``Section 5. Nothing in this article shall be construed to grant 
Congress or the States the power to abridge the freedom of the 
press.''.
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