Bill Text: MI HJRBB | 2013-2014 | 97th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Legislature; other; constitutional amendment to restrict amount of independent political spending; petition congress to call a convention. Petitions congress to propose amendment to constitution of the United States.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-09 - Printed Joint Resolution Filed 01/09/2014 [HJRBB Detail]

Download: Michigan-2013-HJRBB-Introduced.html

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION BB

 

January 8, 2014, Introduced by Reps. Irwin, Robinson, Hobbs, Stallworth, Durhal, Talabi, Townsend, Switalski, Phelps, Smiley, Brunner, Cavanagh, Tlaib, Barnett, Kosowski, Haugh, Lipton, Zemke, Singh, McCann and Schor and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

     A joint resolution to petition the congress of the United

 

States to call a convention to propose an amendment to the

 

constitution of the United States to restrict independent political

 

spending.

 

     Whereas, the 1st President of the United States, George

 

Washington, stated, "The basis of our political systems is the

 

right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of

 

Government."; and,

 

     Whereas, it was the stated intention of the framers of the

 

constitution of the United States of America that the congress of

 

the United States of America should be "dependent on the people

 

alone." (James Madison, Federalist 52); and,

 

     Whereas, that dependency has evolved from a dependency on the

 

people alone to a dependency on those who spend excessively in

 

elections, through campaigns or third-party groups; and,

 

     Whereas, the United States supreme court ruling in Citizens

 

United v Federal Election Commission, 558 US 310 (2010) removed

 

restrictions on amounts of independent political spending; and,

 

     Whereas, the removal of those restrictions has resulted in the

 

unjust influence of powerful economic forces, which have supplanted

 

the will of the people by undermining our ability to choose our

 

political leadership, write our own laws, and determine the fate of

 

our state; and,

 

     Whereas, Article V of the United States constitution requires

 

the United States congress to call a convention for proposing

 

amendments upon application of two-thirds of the legislatures of

 

the several states for the purpose of proposing amendments to the

 

United States constitution; and,

 

     Whereas, the state of Michigan sees the need for a convention

 

to propose amendments in order to address concerns such as those

 

raised by the decision of the United States supreme court in

 

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, 558 US 310 (2010)

 

and related cases and events including those occurring long before

 

or afterward or for a substantially similar purpose, and desires

 

that said convention should be so limited; and,

 

     Whereas, the state of Michigan desires that the delegates to

 

said convention shall be composed equally of individuals currently

 

elected to state and local office, or be selected by election in

 

each congressional district for the purpose of serving as

 

delegates, though all individuals elected or appointed to federal

 

office, now or in the past, be prohibited from serving as delegates

 

to the convention, and intends to retain the ability to restrict or

 

expand the power of its delegates within the limits expressed

 

above; and,

 

     Whereas, the state of Michigan intends that this be a

 

continuing application considered together with applications

 

calling for a convention currently pending before the one hundred

 

eighty-eighth Massachusetts legislature as S. 1727, the Vermont

 

legislature as JRS 27, and the California legislature as AJR 1, and

 

all other passed, pending, and future applications, the

 

aforementioned concerns of Michigan notwithstanding until such time

 

as two-thirds of the several states have applied for a convention

 

and said convention is convened by congress.

 

     Be it resolved, That the legislature of the state of Michigan,

 

pursuant to Article V of the United States constitution, hereby

 

petitions the United States congress to call a convention for the

 

purpose of proposing amendments to the constitution of the United

 

States of America as soon as two-thirds of the several states have

 

applied for a convention; and

 

     Be it further resolved, That copies of this resolution be

 

transmitted to the president and vice president of the United

 

States, to the speaker of the United States House of

 

Representatives, to the minority leader of the United States House

 

of Representatives, to the president pro tempore of the United

 

States Senate, to each senator and representative from Michigan in

 

the congress of the United States, to the governor of each state,

 

and to the presiding officers of each legislative body of each of

 

the several states, requesting the cooperation of the several

 

states in issuing an application compelling congress to call a

 

convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article V of the

 

United States constitution.