Senate Concurrent Resolution 531

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO CALL A CONVENTION FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES TO LIMIT THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF UNLIMITED SPENDING IN CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS.

WHEREAS, government of, by and for the people has long been a fundamental American value, and the fundamental and inalienable right to self-govern, and thereby secure rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed in the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence; 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"; and

WHEREAS, that dependency has evolved from a dependency on the people to a dependency on those who spend excessively in elections through campaigns or third party groups; and

WHEREAS, the recent United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, removed restrictions on amounts of independent political spending; and

WHEREAS, the removal of those restrictions has resulted in the corrupting 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, the United States Constitution provides that, on the application of the legislatures of 2/3 of the several states, the Congress shall call a convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment or amendments to the United States Constitution, which amendment or amendments when so proposed by such a convention must be ratified by the legislatures of, or conventions in, 3/4 of the states to become valid:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That the Congress of the United States is hereby requested to call a 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 the corrupting influence of money in our electoral process.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate and to the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives; to each member of the delegation of the State of Mississippi in the Congress of the United States; and to the Archivist of the United States.