PROPOSED ARTICLE OF AMENDMENT XXIX DEFINING PERSONS, CITIZENS AND SPEECH AND FINANCING OF FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNS  

PROPOSED ARTICLE OF AMENDMENT XXIX

TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

DEFINITION OF PERSONS, CITIZENS AND SPEECH

AND

FINANCING OF FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

SECTION 1:  Only a human being may be either a “person” or “citizen” as those terms are used in the Constitution of The United States of America.  No artificially created legal entity—including by way of example, but not limitation, any corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company or association—is either a person or a citizen as those terms are used in this Constitution.

SECTION 2: The making of a financial contribution in cash or in property is not “speech” as that term in used in this Constitution or in any of its Amendments.

SECTION 3:  No person other than a citizen of the United States may make a financial contribution to any candidate for any federal elective office, and the maximum dollar amount that any citizen may make to any candidate during the current election cycle for that office in cash or in property shall be Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) in cash and/or the fair market value of that property adjusted for inflation annually by the Bureau of Consumer Affairs or another federal agency designated by the President and the Congress.  Subject to this dollar limitation, a U.S. citizen may make as many contributions to other candidates for the same federal office during the current election cycle and/or contributions to candidates for other federal offices during the current election cycle as the citizen desires.

SECTION 4:  In addition to the rights of citizens to make financial contributions to candidates for federal elective office, Congress may enact laws establishing the public financing of federal election campaigns by use of only public funds, or by use of public funds and matching taxpayer contributions; provided that, no candidate for a particular federal office shall receive more of such funds than any other candidate for the same office during the current election cycle.

SECTION 5: No candidate for any federal office shall personally retain any amount of unspent citizen or publicly financed campaign funding.  Any and all such campaign funds shall be either returned pro rata to each citizen contributor and/or the public financing fund from which such funds were obtained as determined by the candidate.