Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H3843 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 249 FILED ON: 1/7/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3843
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Carmine Lawrence Gentile
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying
12	12	resolution:
13	13	Resolutions for an application to Congress for an amendment overturning Citizens United.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex1/7/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/23/2025Mary S. Keefe15th Worcester3/4/2025 1 of 3
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 249 FILED ON: 1/7/2025
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3843
19	19	By Representative Gentile of Sudbury, a petition (accompanied by resolutions, House, No. 3843)
20	20	of Carmine Lawrence Gentile, Natalie M. Higgins and Mary S. Keefe for the adoption of
21	21	resolutions memorializing the Congress of the United States to pass and send to the states for
22	22	ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the first amendment and fair elections to the
23	23	people. Veterans and Federal Affairs.
24	24	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
25	25	SEE HOUSE, NO. 3768 OF 2023-2024.]
26	26	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
27	27	_______________
28	28	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
29	29	(2025-2026)
30	30	_______________
31	31	Resolutions for an application to Congress for an amendment overturning Citizens United.
32	32	1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to pass and send to the states for
33	33	2ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the first amendment and fair elections to the
34	34	3people.
35	35	4 Whereas, for the past 4 decades, a divided United States Supreme Court has allowed for
36	36	5corporations, unions, political action committees and super political action committees to
37	37	6influence the political process and democratically-enacted reforms; and
38	38	7 Whereas, the first amendment has been greatly impacted by the United States Supreme
39	39	8Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission; and 2 of 3
40	40	9 Whereas, the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United overturned
41	41	10longstanding precedent prohibiting these interests from spending general treasury funds in
42	42	11democratic elections; and
43	43	12 Whereas, the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United will allow
44	44	13corporations, unions, political action committees and super political action committees limitless
45	45	14and unprecedented campaign spending and disproportionate influence, threatening the fairness of
46	46	15the democratic process; and
47	47	16 Whereas, the people of the United States have previously used the Constitutional
48	48	17amendment process to overturn Supreme Court decisions that present a risk to the democratic
49	49	18process and self government; and in 2018 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Citizens
50	50	19Commission Concerning a Constitutional Amendment for Government of the People created by
51	51	20the overwhelming affirmative vote of Ballot Question 2 in the 2018 general election in the
52	52	21Commonwealth of Massachusetts proposed the following Amendment:
53	53	22 “Section 1. We the People have compelling sovereign interests in representative self-
54	54	23government, federalism, the integrity of the electoral process, and the political equality of natural
55	55	24persons.
56	56	25 Section 2. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to forbid Congress or the
57	57	26States, within their respective jurisdictions, from reasonably regulating and limiting contributions
58	58	27and expenditures in campaigns, elections, or ballot measures.
59	59	28 Section 3. Congress and the States shall have the power to implement and enforce this
60	60	29article by appropriate legislation, and may distinguish between natural persons and juridical 3 of 3
61	61	30persons, including by prohibiting juridical persons from raising and spending money in
62	62	31campaigns, elections, or ballot measures.”
63	63	32 now therefore be it
64	64	33 Resolved, that the Massachusetts General Court hereby memorializes the Congress of the
65	65	34United States to pass and send to the states for ratification a Constitutional amendment to restore
66	66	35the First Amendment and fair elections to the people such as that proposed above; and be it
67	67	36further
68	68	37 Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be transmitted forthwith by the Clerk of the
69	69	38House of Representatives to the President of the United States, to the presiding officer of each
70	70	39branch of Congress and to the members of those branches from the Commonwealth of
71	71	40Massachusetts.