Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.

IA 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 48 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 20, 2021 Ms. JAYAPAL (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CHU, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NEWMAN, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. BEYER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. RYAN, Ms. KUSTER, and Ms. MANNING) 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 providing that the rights extended by the Con- stitution are the rights of natural persons only. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 1 of the United States of America in Congress assembled 2 (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That he fol- 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:13 May 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HJ48.IH HJ48 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HJ 48 IH lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con- 1 stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all 2 intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 3 ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 4 States: 5 ‘‘ARTICLE — 6 ‘‘SECTION 1. The rights protected by the Constitution 7 of the United States are the rights of natural persons only. 8 Artificial entities, such as corporations, limited liability 9 companies, and other entities, established by the laws of 10 any State, the United States, or any foreign state shall 11 have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to 12 regulation by the People, through Federal, State, or local 13 law. The privileges of artificial entities shall be determined 14 by the People, through Federal, State, or local law, and 15 shall not be construed to be inherent or inalienable. 16 ‘‘SECTION 2. Federal, State, and local government 17 shall regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expendi- 18 tures, including a candidate’s own contributions and ex- 19 penditures, to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their 20 economic status, have access to the political process, and 21 that no person gains, as a result of that person’s money, 22 substantially more access or ability to influence in any way 23 the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot 24 measure. Federal, State, and local governments shall re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:13 May 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HJ48.IH HJ48 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HJ 48 IH quire that any permissible contributions and expenditures 1 be publicly disclosed. The judiciary shall not construe the 2 spending of money to influence elections to be speech 3 under the First Amendment. 4 ‘‘SECTION 3. Nothing contained in this amendment 5 shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.’’. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:13 May 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HJ48.IH HJ48 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS