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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY SANTARSIERO, BARBIN, B. BOYLE, K. BOYLE, BRADFORD, BRENNAN, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, CARROLL, D. COSTA, CURRY, DALEY, DeLUCA, DePASQUALE, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GIBBONS, HALUSKA, HARHAI, HORNAMAN, JOSEPHS, KAVULICH, MAHONEY, MOUL, MULLERY, MUNDY, MUSTIO, M. O'BRIEN, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, SAMUELSON, SWANGER, VITALI, WHITE AND DAVIS, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 |
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| A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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1 | Petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a |
2 | convention to amend the Constitution of the United States on |
3 | the subject of election spending. |
4 | WHEREAS, Federal and state campaign finance reform laws |
5 | enacted over the last 40 years have, inter alia, limited or |
6 | barred campaign funding from certain sources and limited the |
7 | timing of expenditures intended to influence elections; and |
8 | WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court in announcing its |
9 | decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election |
10 | Commission effectively nullified key provisions of such campaign |
11 | finance reforms enacted by the United States Congress; and |
12 | WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has effectively |
13 | taken a large step toward the deregulation of the electoral |
14 | process; and |
15 | WHEREAS, Though that decision addresses Federal elections, it |
16 | reasonably may be expected that, throughout the country, |
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1 | existing state and local spending limits could be vitiated and |
2 | that all new proposals to limit contributions and spending could |
3 | be jeopardized; and |
4 | WHEREAS, The ever-mounting cost of political campaigns poses |
5 | a significant barrier to broad participation in the political |
6 | process on the Federal, state and local levels; therefore be it |
7 | RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly, |
8 | under Article V of the Constitution of the United States, |
9 | petition Congress to call a convention for proposing the |
10 | following amendment to the United States Constitution: |
11 | "AMENDMENT XXVIII |
12 | Section 1. Congress shall have the power to limit the |
13 | contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made |
14 | in support of, in opposition to, or to influence in any way the |
15 | nomination or election of any person to Federal office. |
16 | Section 2. Each State shall have the power to limit the |
17 | contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made |
18 | in support of, in opposition to, or to influence the nomination |
19 | or election of any person to State or local office. |
20 | Section 3. Congress and the States shall have the power to |
21 | enforce this article by appropriate legislation." |
22 | RESOLVED, That the General Assembly memorialize the |
23 | legislatures of all the other states to petition Congress in |
24 | accordance with this resolution. |
25 | RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to |
26 | the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each |
27 | member of Congress from Pennsylvania. |
28 | RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to |
29 | the presiding officers of each legislative chamber in every |
30 | other state. |
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