[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6104-H6105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
               REGULATING CORPORATE ELECTION EXPENDITURES

  (Ms. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, John Paul Stevens warned that the Supreme 
Court's ruling in Citizens United threatened to undermine the integrity 
of elected institutions around the country. How right he was.
  Since the Court's decision last January, corporate special interests 
have had unprecedented freedom to spend on our elections. In fact, 
campaign spending by outside groups surged to more than $300 million in 
the 2010 election cycle and are already off the charts for this cycle. 
Likewise, State laws that limited corporate bankrolling of candidates 
have been struck down.
  Mr. Speaker, we have unprecedented challenges in front of us. But how 
do we make the tough choices on the economy, on taxes, on protecting 
the vulnerable and investing in the future and creating jobs? We cannot 
stand idly by while deeply flawed interpretations of the Constitution 
are used to obstruct our democracy rather than guiding it, putting 
lobbyists and piles of cash into policy and elections.

[[Page H6105]]

  It's time for the people's House to stop the madness; and so this 
week I joined with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Conyers to 
reintroduce a constitutional amendment, House Joint Resolution 78, to 
reclaim Congress and to regulate corporate expenditures.

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