VotedBy VotedBy ⌕
Election Day · Tue, Nov 3See how your members of Congress voted →

H.J.Res. 48 · 116th Congress

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the…

Full title

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.

Key: what the circles and colors mean

Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:

IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.

Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.

Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

PJD JayapalSponsor
74 cosponsors · 74 D
EBD Blumenauer SBD Bonamici PDD DeFazio TGD Gabbard RKD Khanna BMD McCollum END Norton TRD Ryan JSD Schakowsky MTD Takano MDD DeSaulnier JHD Huffman BLD Lee SMD Moulton IOD Omar MPD Pocan PTD Tonko CPD Pingree JRD Raskin CGD García DHD Haaland SLD Lynch SCD Carbajal ASD Smith PWD Welch YCD Clarke MCD Cartwright SDD DelBene DMD Matsui BBD Boyle NBD Barragán DKD Kilmer AAD Adams TLD Lieu ALD Lawson AOD Ocasio-Cortez BHD Higgins DHD Heck EPD Perlmutter JKD Kennedy APD Pressley JMD McGovern ACD Craig MTD Thompson KSD Schrier ALD Lowenthal DPD Phillips DDD Davis ZLD Lofgren DCD Cicilline LTD Trahan MKD Kaptur HJD Johnson WKD Keating ABD Bera KCD Clark MFD Fudge ECD Cummings JCD Chu EED Engel RGD Grijalva GMD Moore RTD Tlaib DBD Beyer TMD Malinowski LSD Sánchez AED Eshoo JND Neguse GND Napolitano JND Nadler MWD Waters KPD Porter JMD McNerney JSD Speier

10 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment providing that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. Artificial entities, such as corporations, shall have no rights under the Constitution and are subject to regulation.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Feb 22, 2019

Constitutional Amendment

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment providing that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. Artificial entities, such as corporations, shall have no rights under the Constitution and are subject to regulation.

The amendment requires federal, state, and local government to (1) regulate, limit, or prohibit election contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures; and (2) require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.

The judiciary is prohibited from construing the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment, and the amendment shall not be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.

Latest action (Mar 22, 2019): Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues · Origin: House · Introduced: Feb 22, 2019

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.