[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 4 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 4

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
 restore the rights of the American people that were taken away by the 
   Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case and related 
decisions, to protect the integrity of our elections, and to limit the 
        corrosive influence of money in our democratic process.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 2015

 Mr. Sanders introduced the following joint resolution; which was read 
          twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
 restore the rights of the American people that were taken away by the 
   Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case and related 
decisions, to protect the integrity of our elections, and to limit the 
        corrosive influence of money in our democratic process.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. Whereas the right to vote in public elections belongs 
only to natural persons as citizens of the United States, so shall the 
ability to make contributions and expenditures to influence the outcome 
of public elections belong only to natural persons in accordance with 
this Article.
    ``Section 2. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to 
restrict the power of Congress and the States to protect the integrity 
and fairness of the electoral process, limit the corrupting influence 
of private wealth in public elections, and guarantee the dependence of 
elected officials on the people alone by taking actions which may 
include the establishment of systems of public financing for elections, 
the imposition of requirements to ensure the disclosure of 
contributions and expenditures made to influence the outcome of a 
public election by candidates, individuals, and associations of 
individuals, and the imposition of content neutral limitations on all 
such contributions and expenditures.
    ``Section 3. Nothing in this Article shall be construed to alter 
the freedom of the press.
    ``Section 4. Congress and the States shall have the power to 
enforce this Article through appropriate legislation.''.
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