00           SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8                                                          
01 Urging the United States Congress and the President of the United States to work to                                     
02 amend the Constitution of the United States to prohibit corporations, unions, and other                                 
03 organizations from making unlimited independent expenditures supporting or opposing                                     
04 candidates for public office.                                                                                           
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS a vast majority of Americans recognize that the influence of large                                      
07 contributions by corporations, unions, and other organizations harms the ability of average                             
08 citizens to have a voice in their own government; and                                                                   
09       WHEREAS the narrow majority five to four decision of the United States Supreme                                  
10 Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), allows                                    
11 corporations, unions, and other organizations to make unlimited independent expenditures                                
12 supporting or opposing a candidate for public office; and                                                               
13       WHEREAS unlimited independent expenditures from corporations, unions, and other                                 
14 organizations were prohibited until the ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Citizens                           
15 United v. Federal Election Commission; and                                                                              

01       WHEREAS much of the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by corporations,                                
02 unions, and other organizations since the ruling of the United States Supreme Court in                                  
03 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is used for negative ads, which often                                    
04 misinform voters rather than lead to a productive discussion of the states' and nation's most                           
05 important issues; and                                                                                                   
06       WHEREAS, unless the United States Supreme Court reverses its ruling, the only way                               
07 to reverse the harmful effects of the Citizens United ruling is to amend the Constitution of the                        
08 United States;                                                                                                          
09       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
10 Congress and the President of the United States to work across party lines to propose a                                 
11 constitutional amendment to prohibit corporations, unions, and other organizations from                                 
12 making unlimited independent expenditures.                                                                              
13       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
14 the United States; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S.                                     
15 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
16 delegation in Congress; all other members of the 113th United States Congress; and the                                  
17 presiding officers of the legislatures of each of the other 49 states.