Washington, D.C. – Today, on Constitution Day, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander helped introduce the Citizens Over Corporations Amendment, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would overturn Citizens United v. FEC and limit corporate influence and spending in American politics. Senator Jeanne Shaheen is a co-sponsor of this legislation.
“For 15 years, the Supreme Court’s dead-wrong decision in Citizens United has unleashed chaos and corruption across America. It broke our campaign finance system and paved the way for big corporations and billionaires to seize unprecedented power in America,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “This Amendment is a critical first step to fixing our broken system and bringing power back to We the People.”
Full text of the bill is available here.
The proposed Constitutional amendment will:
- Make clear that the Constitution does not restrict the ability of Congress or states to set reasonable, viewpoint-neutral limitations on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections
- Distinguishes between natural persons, corporations, or other artificial entities, including by allowing Congress or the State to prohibit such entities from spending money to influence elections
- Allow public financing of campaigns when states choose to enact such laws, which can restrict the influence of corporate or private wealth
- Take further steps to protect the freedom of the press in the case of future campaign finance-related legislation
Congresswoman Goodlander has dedicated her life to our country and our democracy. A former clerk to the United States Supreme Court and a former professor of constitutional law at the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College, she is a fierce advocate for ending Citizens United and returning political power to the people.
###
