Senate
Resolution
113
-
Introduced
SENATE
RESOLUTION
NO.
113
BY
DANIELSON
A
Resolution
urging
Congress
to
enact
campaign
finance
1
restrictions
relating
to
Citizens
United
v.
Federal
2
Election
Commission.
3
WHEREAS,
the
protections
afforded
by
the
First
4
Amendment
of
the
Constitution
of
the
United
States
5
to
the
people
of
our
nation
are
fundamental
to
our
6
democracy;
and
7
WHEREAS,
the
First
Amendment
of
the
Constitution
8
of
the
United
States
was
designed
to
protect
the
free
9
speech
rights
of
people
regardless
of
wealth,
and
not
10
corporations;
and
11
WHEREAS,
corporations
are
not
people
who
are
12
entitled
to
constitutional
rights
of
citizenship
but
13
instead
are
entities
created
by
the
laws
of
states
and
14
nations;
and
15
WHEREAS,
the
Supreme
Court’s
ruling
in
Citizens
16
United
v.
Federal
Election
Commission
overturned
17
long-standing
precedent
prohibiting
corporations
18
from
spending
their
general
treasury
funds
in
our
19
elections;
and
20
WHEREAS,
the
opinion
of
the
four
dissenting
justices
21
in
Citizens
United
v.
Federal
Election
Commission
22
noted
that
corporations
have
special
advantages
not
23
enjoyed
by
natural
persons,
such
as
limited
liability,
24
perpetual
life,
and
favorable
treatment
of
the
25
accumulation
and
distribution
of
assets,
that
allow
26
them
to
spend
prodigious
sums
on
campaign
messages
that
27
have
little
or
no
correlation
with
the
beliefs
held
by
28
-1-
LSB
6088SS
(2)
84
jr/sc
1/
2
S.R.
113
natural
persons;
and
1
WHEREAS,
the
majority
opinion
of
the
Supreme
Court
2
in
Austin
v.
Michigan
Chamber
of
Commerce,
494
U.S.
3
652
(1990),
ruled
that
the
people
have
a
compelling
4
interest
in
preventing
the
corrosive
and
distorting
5
effects
of
immense
aggregations
of
wealth
that
are
6
accumulated
with
the
help
of
the
corporate
form
and
7
that
have
little
or
no
correlation
to
the
public’s
8
support
for
the
corporation’s
political
ideas
from
9
unduly
influencing
our
political
process;
and
10
WHEREAS,
the
general
public
and
political
leaders
in
11
the
United
States
have
recognized,
since
the
founding
12
of
our
country,
that
the
interests
of
corporations
13
do
not
always
correspond
with
the
public
interest
14
and
that,
therefore,
the
political
influence
of
15
corporations
should
be
limited;
and
16
WHEREAS,
notwithstanding
the
decision
in
Citizens
17
United
v.
Federal
Election
Commission,
legislators
have
18
a
duty
to
protect
democracy
and
our
Constitution
and
19
defend
them
from
the
potentially
detrimental
effects
20
of
corporate
spending
in
local,
state,
and
federal
21
elections;
NOW
THEREFORE,
22
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
SENATE,
That
the
Senate
23
urges
the
United
States
Congress
to
enact
appropriate
24
legislation
to
regulate
and
restrict
corporate
25
participation
in
election
campaigns;
and
26
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
the
Secretary
of
the
27
Senate
is
directed
to
forward
a
copy
of
this
resolution
28
to
each
member
of
the
Iowa
Congressional
delegation.
29
-2-
LSB
6088SS
(2)
84
jr/sc
2/
2