00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 27                                                                    
01 Urging the United States Congress to pass legislation requiring disclosure of                                           
02 independent expenditures made to influence public elections.                                                            
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS a vast majority of Americans recognize that the influence of large                                      
05 contributions by corporations, unions, other organizations, and individuals harms the ability                           
06 of average citizens to have a voice in their own government; and                                                        
07       WHEREAS the narrow majority five to four decision of the United States Supreme                                  
08 Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), allows                                    
09 corporations, unions, and other organizations to make unlimited independent expenditures in                             
10 support of, or in opposition to, candidates for public office; and                                                      
11       WHEREAS unlimited independent expenditures from corporations, unions, and other                                 
12 organizations were prohibited until the court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election                           
13 Commission; and                                                                                                         
14       WHEREAS much of the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by corporations,                                
15 unions, and other organizations since the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission                                
16 ruling has been used for negative advertisements, which often misinform voters rather than                              

01 lead to productive discussions of the states' and nation's most important issues; and                                   
02       WHEREAS the United States Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976),                                 
03 held that individuals could make unlimited independent expenditures to influence public                                 
04 elections;                                                                                                              
05       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
06 Congress to enact legislation requiring corporations, unions, other organizations, and                                  
07 individuals to disclose the amount of independent expenditures made to influence public                                 
08 elections and requiring advertisements intended to influence public elections purchased                                 
09 through independent expenditures to include print and audible disclaimers that clearly identify                         
10 the top funders of the advertisements in a manner similar to that required by laws passed by                            
11 the Alaska State Legislature.                                                                                           
12       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
13 the United States; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S.                                     
14 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
15 delegation in Congress; all other members of the 113th United States Congress; and the                                  
16 presiding officers of the legislatures of each of the other 49 states.