[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 21 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 21

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States giving 
     Congress power to regulate campaign contributions for Federal 
                               elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States giving 
     Congress power to regulate campaign contributions for Federal 
                               elections.

    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. The Congress shall have power to prohibit, limit, and 
otherwise regulate the contribution of funds or donation of in-kind 
equivalents to candidates standing for election to a Federal office in 
the United States and to prohibit, limit, and otherwise regulate the 
expenditure of funds or donation of in-kind equivalents used to support 
or purchase media advertisements intended to influence the outcome of 
an election for Federal office in the United States.
    ``Whenever Congress should exercise such power, it must apply 
equally and uniformly to all individual persons recognized as citizens 
of the United States.
    ``Whenever Congress should exercise such power on associations of 
citizens of the United States, it must apply equally and uniformly to 
all associations of citizens of the United States.
    ``Section 2. Each of the several States shall have power to 
prohibit, limit, and otherwise regulate the contribution of funds or 
donation of in-kind equivalents to candidates standing for election to 
public office in the State and to prohibit, limit, and otherwise 
regulate expenditure of funds or donation of in-kind equivalents used 
to support or purchase media advertisements intended to influence the 
outcome of an election for public office or plebiscite in the State.
    ``Whenever a State should exercise such power, it must apply 
equally and uniformly to all individual persons recognized as citizens 
of the State.
    ``Whenever a State should exercise such power on associations of 
citizens of the State, it must apply equally and uniformly to all 
associations of citizens of the State.
    ``Section 3. A person who is not a citizen of the United States, 
including an association of persons who are not citizens of the United 
States, a foreign government, or any person acting as an agent thereof, 
may not contribute funds or donate in-kind equivalents to candidates 
standing for election to public office in the United States or 
otherwise expend funds or donate in-kind equivalents in a manner 
intended to influence the outcome of an election for public office or 
plebiscite in the United States.
    ``Section 4. The powers provided by this article are limited to the 
content neutral regulation of political contributions and political 
expenditures.
    ``Section 5. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article 
by appropriate legislation.''.
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