California 2011-2012 Regular Session

California Assembly Bill AJR32 Latest Draft

Bill / Amended Version Filed 04/11/2012

 BILL NUMBER: AJR 32AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 11, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Allen, Gatto, and Wieckowski MARCH 20, 2012 Relative to a federal constitutional convention. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AJR 32, as amended, Allen. Federal constitutional convention: application. This measure would constitute an application to the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would limit corporate personhood  for purposes of campaign finance and political speech  and would further declare that money does not constitute speech and may be democratically limited. This measure would state that it constitutes a continuing application to call a constitutional convention until at least 2/3 of the state legislatures apply to the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention for that sole purpose. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) 130 S.Ct. 876 held that the government may not, under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker's corporate identity; and WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution requires the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention upon application of two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states for the purpose of proposing amendments to the United States Constitution; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California hereby applies to the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would limit corporate personhood  for purposes of campaign finance and political speech and would further declare that money does not constitute speech and may be democratically limited; and be it further Resolved, That this constitutes a continuing application to call a constitutional convention pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution until at least two-thirds of the legislatures of the several states apply to the United States Congress to call a constitutional convention for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would limit corporate personhood  for purposes of campaign finance and political speech  and would further declare that money does not constitute speech and may be democratically limited; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.