[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 156 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 156

Calling for an environmental and social responsibility amendment to the 
                      United States Constitution.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2011

Mr. Kucinich submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

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                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling for an environmental and social responsibility amendment to the 
                      United States Constitution.

Whereas it has become settled law and Supreme Court precedent to regard 
        corporations as the legal equivalent of individual persons, with many of 
        the rights, liberties, and protections to which an individual person is 
        entitled;
Whereas corporate persons, by virtue of their ability to create, allocate, and 
        preserve wealth, have an advantage over individual persons in expressing 
        political speech, including campaign contributions, and petitioning 
        their government;
Whereas the United States, the Earth, and its inhabitants face significant 
        dangers from environmentally destructive economic arrangements that 
        derive short-term corporate profits at the expense of long-term, 
        planetary damage;
Whereas the long-term prosperity of the United States and its people is 
        interrelated and inextricable from the long-term sustainability of the 
        Earth; and
Whereas civic, religious, and labor leaders in the United States believe an 
        amendment to the Constitution is necessary to restore individual rights 
        to their traditional supremacy over the rights of corporations and to 
        ensure the long-term interests of the United States people and the 
        world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that, as articulated in the environmental and social responsibility 
amendment to the United States Constitution, the--
            (1) Constitution of the United States should be amended to 
        subordinate the political rights of corporations to the rights 
        of individuals; and
            (2) laws of the United States should be amended to include 
        a public Federal election campaign finance system, a social and 
        environmental responsibility education initiative, and a new 
        Federal corporate charter statute to facilitate environmentally 
        and socially responsible corporate practices.
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