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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The five-four decision by the United States Supreme |
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Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission swept away |
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a century of tradition limiting corporate spending in elections, |
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thus unleashing a torrent of large campaign contributions by |
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corporations and the super rich; and |
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WHEREAS, On January 21, 2010, the narrow majority of justices |
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in Citizens United not only overturned several key provisions of |
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the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 but also reversed a |
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number of previous Supreme Court decisions that established |
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constitutional justification for campaign finance limitations as a |
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means of deterring corruption and the appearance of corruption; and |
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WHEREAS, Citizens United holds that corporations are people |
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with rights to free speech under the United States Constitution, |
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and it equates money with speech; as four Supreme Court justices |
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noted in their dissenting opinion, however, the distinction between |
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corporations and natural persons is significant; corporations are |
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not members of society, and they cannot vote or run for office; |
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moreover, they may be managed and controlled by citizens of foreign |
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countries, and their interests may conflict in fundamental ways |
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with the interests of eligible voters; and |
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WHEREAS, Since the nation's founding, the general public and |
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statesmen alike have recognized that corporations with vast |
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financial resources are capable of drowning out the voices of |
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individuals in the political sphere, thereby undermining the |
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democratic process; the unprecedented flood of political |
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expenditures in the wake of Citizens United poses a threat to our |
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republic that can best be remedied through recourse to the |
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constitutional amendment process described in Article V of the |
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United States Constitution; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby express strong opposition to the United States |
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Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election |
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Commission and respectfully urge the United States Congress to |
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propose and send to the states for ratification an amendment to the |
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United States Constitution restoring republican democracy to the |
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people of the United States by clarifying the distinction between |
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the rights of natural persons and the rights of corporations, |
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thereby preserving the power of Congress and the states to limit |
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corporate influence on the outcome of elections; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the Texas House of |
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Representatives forward official copies of this resolution to the |
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president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and |
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the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States |
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Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress |
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with the request that this resolution be entered in the |
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Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United |
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States of America. |