1Petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a
2convention to amend the Constitution of the United States on
3the subject of election spending.

4WHEREAS, Federal and state campaign finance reform laws
5enacted over the last 40 years have, among other things, limited
6or barred campaign funding from certain sources and limited the
7timing of expenditures intended to influence elections; and

8WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court in announcing its
9decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election 
10Commission effectively nullified key provisions of the campaign
11finance reforms enacted by the Congress of the United States;
12and

13WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has effectively
14taken a large step toward the deregulation of the electoral
15process; and

16WHEREAS, Though that decision addresses Federal elections, it
17reasonably may be expected that, throughout the country,
18existing state and local spending limits could be vitiated and

1that all new proposals to limit contributions and spending could
2be jeopardized; and

3WHEREAS, The ever-mounting cost of political campaigns poses
4a significant barrier to broad participation in the political
5process on the Federal, state and local levels; therefore be it

6RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly,
7under Article V of the Constitution of the United States,
8petition Congress to call a convention for proposing the
9following amendment to the United States Constitution:

10"AMENDMENT XXVIII

11Section 1.  Congress shall have the power to limit the
12contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made
13in support of, in opposition to, or to influence in any way the
14nomination or election of any person to Federal office.

15Section 2.  Each State shall have the power to limit the
16contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made
17in support of, in opposition to, or to influence the nomination
18or election of any person to State or local office.

19Section 3.  Congress and the States shall have the power to
20enforce this article by appropriate legislation.";

21and be it further

22RESOLVED, That the General Assembly memorialize the
23legislatures of all the other states to petition Congress in
24accordance with this resolution; and be it further

25RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
26the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
27member of Congress from Pennsylvania; and be it further

28RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
29the presiding officers of each legislative chamber in every
30other state.