HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-04-2012 pc amendment resolutionModel Language for Proposed Amendment Resolution:
WHEREAS the recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ,
that rolled back 100 years of campaign finance reform abolishing the legal limits on personal and corporate spending
in the electoral process has and continues to have the documented effect of creating an unequal playing field an d
encouraging unlimited corporate and personal spending with the aim of influencing elections, candidate selection, an d
policy decisions ; an d
WHEREAS ,such undue influence on the electoral process forces elected officials to divert their
attention from the peoples' business, or even vote against the interest of their human constituents in order to ensur e
competitive campaign funds for their own re-elections, thus creating an enduring and deleterious effect upon ou r
democratic way of governance ; an d
WHEREAS ,tens of thousands of people, organizations, and municipalities across the nation an d
from all political viewpoints are joining with the Move to Amend movement to call for an amendment to the U .S .
Constitution to abolish corporate constitutional rights and the doctrine of money as free speech ;
SO BE IT RESOLVED,that the City of San Luis Obispo, California calls fo r
reclaiming democracy from the corrupting effects of undue influence by fictional entities and uncontrolled money i n
elections, by amending the United States Constitution as follows :
Section 1 [Corporations are not people and can be regulated ]
The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons only .
Artificial entities, such as corporations, limited liability companies, and other entities, established by the laws of an y
State, the United States, or any foreign state shall have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to regulation b y
the People, through Federal, State, or local law.
The privileges of artificial entities shall be determined by the People, through Federal, State, or local law, and shall not b e
construed to be inherent or inalienable .
Section 2 [Money is not speech and can be regulated ]
Federal, State and local government shall regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, including a candidat e
for public office or any ballot measure .
Federal, State and local government shall require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly
disclosed .
The judiciary shall not construe the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment .
Section 3 [Freedom of the press ]
Nothing contained in this amendment shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press .
BE IT FURTHER RE SOTJ V ED 9 that a copy of this Resolution o f
non-binding statement on behalf of Citizens of San Luis Obispo be forwarded immediately to United States President Barack
Obama, Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Representative Lois Capps,Representative Kevin McCarthy, an d
all members of the California State Assembly and Senate.