PA Senate Resolution 212: "For Our Freedom" U.S. Constitutional Amendment

Sign the petition at the bottom of the page!

There's an effort that's currently underway to pass a constitutional amendment that will counter the "Citizens United" U.S. Supreme Court decision and allow states and Congress to regulate campaign spending.  The "For Our Freedom Amendment" (State Senate Resolution 212) aims to restore reasonable limits on campaign money in elections. So far, 22 states (Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have passed resolutions calling for the amendment. Additionally, voters in six states—Montana, Colorado, Alaska, California, Washington, and Massachusetts—have approved citizen initiatives in support of this crucial effort.

Some more about the amendment:

• 81% of Pennsylvanians support a federal constitutional amendment that would allow limits to be set on campaign spending.

• HR 317, the companion resolution to SR 212, passed the PA House with a bipartisan vote.

• Protects free speech and the voice of all Americans and ends the domination of our elections and corruption of our representative government by dark money and elite donors.

• Has overwhelming support from Americans of every political viewpoint.

• Offers lasting reform and breaks the two-party incumbent-favoring big money system that locks out competition, choice, and progress for the nation.

• Is the lasting, constitutional method for rebuilding checks and balances, federalism and local freedom against global money nationalizing every election and dividing America.

• Frees business from pay to play politics and unfair competition from big global corporations that are spending millions of dollars to buy political influence that destroys the level playing field. 

Here is the text of the amendment:

• Section 1. We the People have compelling sovereign interests in the freedom of speech, representative self-government, federalism, the integrity of the electoral process, and the political equality of natural persons.

• Section 2. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to forbid Congress or the States, within their respective jurisdictions, from reasonably regulating and limiting contributions and spending in campaigns, elections, or ballot measures.

• Section 3. Congress and the States shall have the power to implement and enforce this article by appropriate legislation and may distinguish between natural persons and artificial entities, including by prohibiting artificial entities from raising and spending money in campaigns, elections, or ballot measures.

Follow the progress of the amendment at https://americanpromise.net/

This is a national effort. Tell your friends about it! Tell your friends in other states about! Tell them to go to https://americanpromise.net/our-plan/.  Scroll down to the map, and click on their state to find out what they can do to help.

Sign the petition to stop dark money in Pennsylvania elections!

To Members of the Pennsylvania Senate:

As proud Pennsylvanians, we are concerned with the amount of dark money flowing into Pennsylvania from a handful of wealthy individuals, corporations, and foreign actors with the sole purpose of influencing our elections. Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our Democracy, but over the past several decades (in cases like Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United), the courts have ruled that unlimited spending of dark money in our elections is tantamount to free speech, stifling the voices of Pennsylvanians and the American people to choose their leaders.

- 93% of Pennsylvanians believe that the influence of money in politics is a threat to our democracy

- $211 million has been spent so far in Pennsylvania on the 2024 presidential election

- Since 2010, OpenSecrets has tracked more than $2.8 billion in dark money spending and contributions reported to the FEC.

The only remedy to this problem is to amend the constitution with the For Our Freedom Amendment. The For Our Freedom Amendment will empower, but not require, the States and Congress to set reasonable guardrails on spending in their respective elections. The For Our Freedom Amendment would protect the public interest against outsized influence by large donors while guarding against emerging threats such as foreign actors or artificial intelligence operators working to influence election outcomes.

81% of Pennsylvania voters across the political spectrum support a constitutional amendment to address the issue of money in politics.

Please take action and sign the letter of support for the For Our Freedom Amendment being circulated in the Pennsylvania Senate. This letter urges Congress to take action by proposing the For Our Freedom Amendment. Once proposed and passed by Congress, we believe this amendment will be rapidly ratified by the requisite number of States, restoring our ability to regulate the power of money in our elections, protecting the vision of a government, of, by, and for the people.

Thank you,