PRINTER'S NO. 1728
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
378
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY SANTARSIERO, SCHLOSSBERG, THOMAS, DAVIS, MURT,
MAHONEY, HARHAI, COHEN AND BRADFORD, JUNE 8, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 8, 2015
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a
convention to amend the Constitution of the United States on
the subject of election spending.
WHEREAS, Federal and state campaign finance reform laws
enacted over the last 40 years have, among other things, limited
or barred campaign funding from certain sources and limited the
timing of expenditures intended to influence elections; and
WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court in announcing its
decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission effectively nullified key provisions of the campaign
finance reforms enacted by the Congress of the United States;
and
WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has effectively
taken a large step toward the deregulation of the electoral
process; and
WHEREAS, Though that decision addresses Federal elections, it
reasonably may be expected that, throughout the country,
existing state and local spending limits could be vitiated and
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that all new proposals to limit contributions and spending could
be jeopardized; and
WHEREAS, The ever-mounting cost of political campaigns poses
a significant barrier to broad participation in the political
process on the Federal, state and local levels; therefore be it
RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly,
under Article V of the Constitution of the United States,
petition Congress to call a convention for proposing the
following amendment to the United States Constitution:
"AMENDMENT XXVIII
Section 1. Congress shall have the power to limit the
contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made
in support of, in opposition to, or to influence in any way the
nomination or election of any person to Federal office.
Section 2. Each State shall have the power to limit the
contributions to or expenditures by any person or committee made
in support of, in opposition to, or to influence the nomination
or election of any person to State or local office.
Section 3. Congress and the States shall have the power to
enforce this article by appropriate legislation.";
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly memorialize the
legislatures of all the other states to petition Congress in
accordance with this resolution; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
member of Congress from Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the presiding officers of each legislative chamber in every
other state.
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