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Senate Joint Resolution 6 - IntroducedA Bill ForA Joint Resolution 1requesting the calling of a constitutional
2convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an
3amendment to the United States Constitution that will
4restore balance and integrity to our elections.
5WHEREAS, the framers of the Constitution of the United
6States of America intended that the Congress of the United
7States of America should be “dependent on the people alone”, as
8James Madison wrote in Federalist number 52;and
9WHEREAS, that dependency has evolved from a dependency on
10the people alone to a dependency on powerful special interests,
11through campaigns or third-party groups, that has created a
12fundamental imbalance in our representative democracy;and
13WHEREAS, Americans across the political spectrum agree that
14elections in the United States of America should be free from
15the disproportional influence of special interests and fair
16enough that any citizen can be elected into office;and
17WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of Iowa states: “All
18political power is inherent in the people. Government is
19instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the
20people, and they have the right, at all times, to alter or
21reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.”;and
22WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States
23requires Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments
24to the Constitution of the United States on the application of
25two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states;and
26WHEREAS, the general assembly perceives the need for a
27constitutional convention to restore balance and integrity to
28our elections by proposing an amendment to the Constitution of
29the United States that will permanently protect free and fair
30elections in America by addressing, among other things, issues
31raised by the decisions of the United States supreme court in
32Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310
33(2010), and related cases and events, and desires that said
34convention should be so limited;and
35WHEREAS, the state of Iowa desires that the delegates to said
36convention shall be comprised equally of individuals currently
37elected to state and local office, or be selected by election,
38in each congressional district for the purpose of serving as
39delegates, though all individuals elected or appointed to
40federal office, now or in the past, be prohibited from serving
41as delegates to the convention, and intends to retain the
42ability to restrict or expand the power of its delegates within
43the limits expressed herein;and
44WHEREAS, the state of Iowa intends that this be a continuing
45application considered together with applications calling for a
46convention passed in the 2013-2014 Vermont legislature as R454,
47the 2013-2014 California legislature as resolution chapter 77,
48the 98th Illinois general assembly as senate joint resolution
4942, the 2014-2015 New Jersey legislature as senate concurrent
50resolution 132, the 2015-2016 Rhode Island legislature as house
51resolution 7670 and senate resolution 2589, and all other
52passed, pending, and future applications until such time as
53two-thirds of the several states have applied for a convention
54for a similar purpose and said convention is convened by
55Congress;NOW THEREFORE,
56BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1That the general assembly, as the legislature of the state of
2Iowa, pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United
3States, hereby applies to the United States Congress to call a
4convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment
5to the Constitution of the United States that will restore free
6and fair elections as described herein, as soon as two-thirds
7of the several states have applied for a convention for a
8similar purpose.
9BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of the Iowa senate
10transmit copies of this resolution to the president of the
11United States; the vice president of the United States in his
12capacity as presiding officer of the United States senate,
13the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the
14minority leader of the United States house of representatives,
15the president pro tempore of the United States senate, to
16each senator and representative from Iowa in the Congress
17of the United States with the respectful request that the
18full and complete text of this resolution be printed in the
19congressional record, and to the presiding officers of each
20legislative body of each of the several states, requesting the
21cooperation of the states in issuing an application compelling
22Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments pursuant
23to Article V of the Constitution of the United States.
24BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this application constitutes
25a continuing application in accordance with article v of the
26constitution of the United States until the legislatures of at
27least two-thirds of the several states have made applications
28on the same subject.
29EXPLANATION
30The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
31the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
32This joint resolution constitutes a petition requesting the
33United States Congress to call a constitutional convention
34for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the
35Constitution of the United States responding to the United
-1-1States supreme court’s decision in Citizens United v.Federal
2Election Commission and relating to election fairness and
3corporate political speech and submit it to the states for
4ratification.
5The joint resolution calls for the convention to be
6comprised equally of individuals currently elected to state and
7local office, or be selected by election, in each congressional
8district for the purpose of serving as delegates. The joint
9resolution prohibits all individuals who have ever been elected
10or appointed to federal office from serving as delegates. The
11joint resolution reserves to the state of Iowa the ability to
12restrict or expand the power of its delegates.
13The joint resolution also provides that it shall serve as
14a continuing application to call a constitutional convention,
15until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several
16states have made application for a similar convention and the
17convention is convened by Congress.
18The joint resolution provides that it shall serve as a
19continuing application to call a constitutional convention
20until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several
21states have made applications on the same subject.
22The joint resolution also requires that the secretary of
23the Iowa senate transmit copies of this resolution to the
24president of the United States, the vice president of the
25United States in his capacity as presiding officer of the
26United States senate, the speaker of the United States house of
27representatives, the minority leader of the United States house
28of representatives, the president pro tempore of the United
29States senate, to each senator and representative from Iowa in
30the Congress of the United States with the request that the
31complete text of the resolution be printed in the congressional
32record, and to the presiding officers of each legislative body
33of each of the several states, requesting the cooperation of
34the states in issuing an application compelling Congress to
35call a convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article
-2-1V of the Constitution of the United States.
-3-ss/jh
2convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an
3amendment to the United States Constitution that will
4restore balance and integrity to our elections.
5WHEREAS, the framers of the Constitution of the United
6States of America intended that the Congress of the United
7States of America should be “dependent on the people alone”, as
8James Madison wrote in Federalist number 52;and
9WHEREAS, that dependency has evolved from a dependency on
10the people alone to a dependency on powerful special interests,
11through campaigns or third-party groups, that has created a
12fundamental imbalance in our representative democracy;and
13WHEREAS, Americans across the political spectrum agree that
14elections in the United States of America should be free from
15the disproportional influence of special interests and fair
16enough that any citizen can be elected into office;and
17WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of Iowa states: “All
18political power is inherent in the people. Government is
19instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the
20people, and they have the right, at all times, to alter or
21reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.”;and
22WHEREAS, Article V of the Constitution of the United States
23requires Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments
24to the Constitution of the United States on the application of
25two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states;and
26WHEREAS, the general assembly perceives the need for a
27constitutional convention to restore balance and integrity to
28our elections by proposing an amendment to the Constitution of
29the United States that will permanently protect free and fair
30elections in America by addressing, among other things, issues
31raised by the decisions of the United States supreme court in
32Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310
33(2010), and related cases and events, and desires that said
34convention should be so limited;and
35WHEREAS, the state of Iowa desires that the delegates to said
36convention shall be comprised equally of individuals currently
37elected to state and local office, or be selected by election,
38in each congressional district for the purpose of serving as
39delegates, though all individuals elected or appointed to
40federal office, now or in the past, be prohibited from serving
41as delegates to the convention, and intends to retain the
42ability to restrict or expand the power of its delegates within
43the limits expressed herein;and
44WHEREAS, the state of Iowa intends that this be a continuing
45application considered together with applications calling for a
46convention passed in the 2013-2014 Vermont legislature as R454,
47the 2013-2014 California legislature as resolution chapter 77,
48the 98th Illinois general assembly as senate joint resolution
4942, the 2014-2015 New Jersey legislature as senate concurrent
50resolution 132, the 2015-2016 Rhode Island legislature as house
51resolution 7670 and senate resolution 2589, and all other
52passed, pending, and future applications until such time as
53two-thirds of the several states have applied for a convention
54for a similar purpose and said convention is convened by
55Congress;NOW THEREFORE,
56BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1That the general assembly, as the legislature of the state of
2Iowa, pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United
3States, hereby applies to the United States Congress to call a
4convention for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment
5to the Constitution of the United States that will restore free
6and fair elections as described herein, as soon as two-thirds
7of the several states have applied for a convention for a
8similar purpose.
9BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of the Iowa senate
10transmit copies of this resolution to the president of the
11United States; the vice president of the United States in his
12capacity as presiding officer of the United States senate,
13the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the
14minority leader of the United States house of representatives,
15the president pro tempore of the United States senate, to
16each senator and representative from Iowa in the Congress
17of the United States with the respectful request that the
18full and complete text of this resolution be printed in the
19congressional record, and to the presiding officers of each
20legislative body of each of the several states, requesting the
21cooperation of the states in issuing an application compelling
22Congress to call a convention for proposing amendments pursuant
23to Article V of the Constitution of the United States.
24BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this application constitutes
25a continuing application in accordance with article v of the
26constitution of the United States until the legislatures of at
27least two-thirds of the several states have made applications
28on the same subject.
29EXPLANATION
30The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
31the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
32This joint resolution constitutes a petition requesting the
33United States Congress to call a constitutional convention
34for the exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to the
35Constitution of the United States responding to the United
-1-1States supreme court’s decision in Citizens United v.Federal
2Election Commission and relating to election fairness and
3corporate political speech and submit it to the states for
4ratification.
5The joint resolution calls for the convention to be
6comprised equally of individuals currently elected to state and
7local office, or be selected by election, in each congressional
8district for the purpose of serving as delegates. The joint
9resolution prohibits all individuals who have ever been elected
10or appointed to federal office from serving as delegates. The
11joint resolution reserves to the state of Iowa the ability to
12restrict or expand the power of its delegates.
13The joint resolution also provides that it shall serve as
14a continuing application to call a constitutional convention,
15until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several
16states have made application for a similar convention and the
17convention is convened by Congress.
18The joint resolution provides that it shall serve as a
19continuing application to call a constitutional convention
20until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several
21states have made applications on the same subject.
22The joint resolution also requires that the secretary of
23the Iowa senate transmit copies of this resolution to the
24president of the United States, the vice president of the
25United States in his capacity as presiding officer of the
26United States senate, the speaker of the United States house of
27representatives, the minority leader of the United States house
28of representatives, the president pro tempore of the United
29States senate, to each senator and representative from Iowa in
30the Congress of the United States with the request that the
31complete text of the resolution be printed in the congressional
32record, and to the presiding officers of each legislative body
33of each of the several states, requesting the cooperation of
34the states in issuing an application compelling Congress to
35call a convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article
-2-1V of the Constitution of the United States.
-3-ss/jh