HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2599        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 933

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

David M. Rogers and Paul W. Mark

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying proposal for constitutional amendment:

Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution to declare that corporations are not people, money is not speech.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/16/2015

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

1/16/2015

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

9/5/2019

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Dennis A. Rosa

4th Worcester

9/5/2019

Jeffrey N. Roy

10th Norfolk

9/5/2019

James J. Dwyer

30th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

9/5/2019

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

9/5/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

9/5/2019

Benjamin B. Downing

Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden

9/5/2019

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

9/5/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Paul Brodeur

32nd Middlesex

1/30/2015

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Timothy R. Madden

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

9/5/2019

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

9/5/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Gailanne M. Cariddi

1st Berkshire

9/5/2019

Cory Atkins

14th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

9/5/2019

Daniel Cullinane

12th Suffolk

9/5/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Michael S. Day

31st Middlesex

9/5/2019

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Carlos Gonzalez

10th Hampden

9/5/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2599        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 933

By Messrs. Rogers of Cambridge and Mark of Peru, a petition (accompanied by proposal, House, No. 933) of David M. Rogers, Paul W. Mark and others for a legislative amendment to the Constitution to declare rights afforded to the human inhabitants of the Commonwealth are not applicable to corporations, limited liability companies or any other corporate entities.  Financial Services.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution to declare that corporations are not people, money is not speech.

 

A majority of all the members elected to the Senate and House of Representatives, in joint session, hereby declares it to be expedient to alter the Constitution by the adoption of the following Article of Amendment, to the end that it may become a part of the Constitution [if similarly agreed to in a joint session of the next General Court and approved by the people at the state election next following]:
 

ARTICLE OF AMENDMENT.
 

Corporations are not people and may be regulated. The rights afforded to the human inhabitants of the commonwealth, under this constitution, are not applicable to corporations, limited liability companies or any other corporate entity. Any references to persons, citizens, inhabitants, subjects, men, people, individuals or like terms in this constitution, are not to be construed in any way to be referring to a corporation, limited liability company or any other corporate entities.

Corporations, limited liability companies and any other corporate entity shall do business in this state under the regulation of laws passed by the general court which shall set the rights of such entities to do business to promote the common good and strengthen the social compact of this commonwealth.

Money is not free speech and may be regulated. To protect our political process and the functioning of government to serve in the best interests of the citizens of the commonwealth, money shall not be considered free speech. The general court shall have the power to regulate the raising and spending of money and in-kind equivalents for any primary or election of a public official and for ballot measures. This shall include regulation of any advertising for or against any candidate in a primary or election for public office and any ballot measure.

Nothing contained in this amendment shall be construed to restrain the liberty of the press.