HJRES 48 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

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.

Introduced May 20, 2021 Originated House Sponsor Pramila Jayapal D-WA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Progress

Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedMay 20, 2021
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

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.

Cosponsors 94

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 20, 2021 to Sep 9, 2022; 56 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-WAAdam SmithOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NYAdriano EspaillatOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MNAngie CraigOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NHAnn M. KusterOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAAnna G. EshooOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MAAyanna PressleyOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MNBetty McCollumOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-PABrendan F. BoyleOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NYBrian HigginsOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MEChellie PingreeOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MOCori BushOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ILDanny K. DavisOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-RIDavid N. CicillineOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MNDean PhillipsOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-WADerek KilmerOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-VADonald S. Beyer, Jr.OriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CADoris O. MatsuiOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-OREarl BlumenauerOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-COEd PerlmutterOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-GAHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.OriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MNIlhan OmarOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAJackie SpeierOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MAJames P. McGovernOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MDJamie RaskinOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAJared HuffmanOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NYJerrold NadlerOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAJerry McNerneyOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ILJesús G. "Chuy" GarcíaOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-COJoe NeguseOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAJudy ChuOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NCKathy E. ManningOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CALinda T. SánchezOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MALori TrahanOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-OHMarcy KapturOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ILMarie NewmanOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-WIMark PocanOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAMark TakanoOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-PAMatt CartwrightOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAMike ThompsonOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CANanette Diaz BarragánOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-NYPaul TonkoOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-VTPeter WelchOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MIRashida TlaibOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CARo KhannaOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CASalud O. CarbajalOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MASeth MoultonOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-MAStephen F. LynchOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-WASuzan K. DelBeneOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-ORSuzanne BonamiciOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-OHTim RyanOriginalMay 20, 2021
D-CAJimmy PanettaMay 28, 2021
D-TXLloyd DoggettJun 8, 2021
D-NYNydia M. VelázquezJun 8, 2021
D-FLAl Lawson, Jr.Jun 15, 2021
D-CAMaxine WatersJun 15, 2021
D-CTRosa L. DeLauroJun 15, 2021
D-CAScott H. PetersJun 15, 2021
D-PADwight EvansJun 23, 2021
D-CAMark DeSaulnierJun 30, 2021
D-NMTeresa Leger FernandezJun 30, 2021
D-CAZoe LofgrenJul 9, 2021
D-MAWilliam R. KeatingAug 3, 2021
D-CAJuan VargasAug 10, 2021
D-NYAlexandria Ocasio-CortezAug 13, 2021
D-TXJoaquin CastroAug 20, 2021
D-CAEric SwalwellSep 10, 2021
D-CAKaren BassSep 10, 2021
D-WAKim SchrierSep 21, 2021
D-NCAlma S. AdamsSep 29, 2021
D-CAMike LevinSep 29, 2021
D-NYGrace MengOct 12, 2021
D-WIGwen MooreOct 12, 2021
D-AZAnn KirkpatrickOct 25, 2021
D-CATed LieuOct 25, 2021
D-NYYvette D. ClarkeNov 5, 2021
D-CAKatie PorterNov 18, 2021
D-NYMondaire JonesNov 23, 2021
D-RIJames R. LangevinNov 30, 2021
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeDec 7, 2021
D-NVDina TitusDec 13, 2021
D-CAAmi BeraFeb 28, 2022
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalMar 7, 2022
D-CAJohn GaramendiMar 7, 2022
D-NYJamaal BowmanMar 16, 2022
D-CATony CárdenasApr 14, 2022
D-CAAdam B. SchiffMay 16, 2022
D-GANikema WilliamsJun 3, 2022
D-ALTerri A. SewellSep 9, 2022

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred May 20, 2021
Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
Referred Nov 1, 2022

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 1, 2022Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
  2. May 20, 2021Introduced in House
  3. May 20, 2021Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Research

What has been written about this resolution: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to Congress under Article I of the United States Constitution and its subsequent amendments, and further clarified and interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 88, May 20, 2021, page H2655.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HJRES 48Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only.Reintroduction ofMar 22, 2019

Titles 1

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
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.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. May 20, 2021Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.