The Democracy Restoration Act
The purpose of this Act is to restore the integrity of democratic elections by ending the undue influence of corporations and special interest groups in the political process, overturning the Citizens United decision, and affirming that corporations are not individuals under the law.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(a) The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision has led to an influx of unlimited corporate and special interest money in elections, undermining the voice of individual voters.
(b) Corporations are not living, breathing entities and should not have the same constitutional rights as individuals.
(c) The excessive influence of corporate money distorts the democratic process, enabling the wealthy and powerful to disproportionately shape public policy.
(d) A healthy democracy requires transparency, fairness, and the prioritization of the public good over corporate profits.
Constitutional Amendment Proposal
(a) Congress shall propose the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of the legislatures of the several states:
Article [XX]
The rights enumerated in this Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. Artificial entities, including corporations, limited liability companies, and other legal entities, established under the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state shall have no inherent constitutional rights.
Money is not speech, and the expenditure of money to influence elections shall be regulated to ensure transparency, fairness, and the protection of democratic principles.
Congress and the states shall have the power to regulate and set limits on all contributions and expenditures in elections, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of wealth, have an equal voice in the democratic process.
Nothing in this article shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.
Campaign Finance Reform
(a) The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 shall be amended to:
(i) Reinstate and strengthen limits on campaign contributions and expenditures.
(ii) Prohibit Super PACs and other entities from spending unlimited amounts of money in elections.
(iii) Require full transparency and public disclosure of all campaign contributions and expenditures in real time.
(b) Public funding of elections shall be expanded to reduce the influence of private money and ensure fair participation for candidates regardless of financial resources.
Enforcement and Penalties
(a) The Federal Election Commission (FEC) shall have enhanced enforcement authority to investigate and penalize violations of campaign finance laws.
(b) Violations shall result in:
(i) Significant financial penalties.
(ii) Potential disqualification from holding public office for candidates knowingly benefiting from unlawful contributions.
Severability
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the Act and its application to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.
(in other words: "If any part of this law is found to be invalid or doesn’t apply to a specific situation or person, the rest of the law will still remain in effect and apply to everything else.")
Effective Date
This Act shall take effect immediately upon enactment and shall apply to all elections occurring after its passage.
