Jayapal Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would end corporate personhood, reverse Citizens United, put power back into the hands of people, and make it clear that money does not equal speech.
“Corporations are not people and money is not speech,” said Jayapal. “In every election cycle since the disastrous Citizens United decision, we have seen more and more special interest dark money poured into campaigns across the country — this year, with a billionaire paying millions to buy a seat as Shadow President. My We the People Amendment hands power back to the people by finally ending corporate constitutional rights, reversing Citizens United, and ensuring that our democracy is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people – not corporations.”
“We applaud Rep. Pramila Jayapal for her leadership in sponsoring HJR54, the We the People Amendment. Rep Jayapal clearly understands that the changes she and many of her colleagues support to advance health care, expand economic justice, ensure a livable world, and promote real democracy are incredibly difficult but necessary. This is especially true given the unjustifiable Supreme Court decisions declaring corporations as entities with many of the same constitutional rights as human persons and that money spent in elections is equivalent to First Amendment-protected free speech,” said Cole Bennett, Legislative Co-Director with Move to Amend. “The exponential growth of corporate power and corrupting political influence from huge sums of money flooding elections can only be solved with a systemic solution that is equivalent in scale to these systemic problems — the We the People Amendment, which will end all corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech.”
The We the People Amendment specifies that the rights provided by the Constitution are for people, not corporations and that artificial entities have no Constitutional rights, ending the 2010 Citizens United decision. The amendment also works to get big money out of politics after the most expensive campaign in American history. Additionally, the joint resolution mandates that Federal, state, and local governments require that all political contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.
In the election cycle immediately following Citizens United decision, independent spending increased by more than 600 percent compared to the previous election cycle. This spending created an enormous imbalance in power, dramatically limiting the average American’s ability to influence elected officials. The ruling also enabled corporate personhood, granting the freedom of expression to corporations.
The We the People Amendment is co-sponsored by Alma Adams (NC-12), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-7), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-4), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Summer Lee (PA-12), Seth Magaziner (RI-2), Betty McCollum (MN-4), Seth Moulton (MA-6), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Scott Peters (CA-50), Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), and Nikema Williams (GA-5).
Issues: Government Reform & Ethics