[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-320. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of California applying to the United States 
     Congress to call a convention of the states under Article V 
     of the United States Constitution for the sole purpose of 
     proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that 
     would limit corporate personhood for purposes of campaign 
     finance and political speech; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 1

       Whereas, Corporations are legal entities that governments 
     create and the rights that they enjoy under the United States 
     Constitution should be more narrowly defined than the rights 
     afforded to natural persons; and
       Whereas, Corporations do not vote in elections and should 
     not be categorized as persons for purposes related to 
     elections for public office and ballot measures; and
       Whereas, The United States Supreme Court, in Citizens 
     United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) 130 S.Ct. 876, 
     held that the government may not, under the First Amendment 
     to the United States Constitution, suppress political speech 
     on the basis of the speaker's corporate identity; and
       Whereas, Article V of the United States Constitution 
     requires the United States Congress to call a constitutional 
     convention upon application of two-thirds of the legislatures 
     of the several states for the purpose of proposing amendments 
     to the United States Constitution: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California, speaking on behalf of the people of the State of 
     California, hereby applies to the United States Congress to 
     call a constitutional convention pursuant to Article V of the 
     United States Constitution for the sole purpose of proposing 
     an amendment to the United States Constitution that would 
     limit corporate personhood for purposes of campaign finance 
     and political speech and would further declare that money 
     does not constitute speech and may be legislatively limited; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That this constitutes a continuing application to 
     call a constitutional convention pursuant to Article V of the 
     United States Constitution until at least two-thirds of the 
     legislatures of the several states apply to the United States 
     Congress to call a constitutional convention for the sole 
     purpose of proposing an amendment to the United States 
     Constitution that would limit corporate personhood for 
     purposes of campaign finance and political speech and would 
     further declare that money does not constitute speech and may 
     be legislatively limited; and be it further
       Resolved, That this application is for a limited 
     constitutional convention and does not grant Congress the 
     authority to call a constitutional convention for any purpose 
     other than for the sole purpose set forth in this resolution; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President 
     of the United States, the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of 
     Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States 
     Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and 
     to each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States.

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