Citizens United Resolution
Issue: Expanding Democracy
Target Level of Office: State
Policy Origin: North Carolina State Legislature
Poilcy/Bill Number: House Joint Resolution 171
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=255
YEO Co-Sponsor:
Rep. Susi Hamilton
Summary Narrative of the Policy: This measure is a joint resolution between the two chambers of
the North Carolina Legislature requesting that Congress propose an amendment to the United
States Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections
Commission regarding corporate campaign spending.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• Citizens United and other court rulings obliterated a century of campaign finance laws.
Now a handful of special interests threaten to dominate political funding, often through
Super PACs and shadowy nonprofits. Public trust in government has plummeted.
• This resolution calls upon the U.S. Congress to propose and send to the states for
ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution to restore democracy to the
people by clarifying that corporations are not natural persons and should not be afforded
the same rights thereof and that money is not speech.
• According to People For the American Way, “the effects of [Citizens United] and other
decisions have not been hard to see. The 2012 election was the most expensive election
in our country’s history. In that election, almost 60 percent of super PAC donations came
from just 159 donors. Over 93 percent came from 3,318 donors, or 0.0011 percent of the
U.S. population. And the influx of money into our elections only continues to get worse.”
Policy
2014 Book
State Level
89