Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections.
Key claim: This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on election-related fundraising and spending and to treat natural persons differently from corporations, including by barring corporate election spending.
Abstract
(HJRES121 · 119th Congress) This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections. Latest action (2025-09-11): Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Why this matters
Proposed constitutional amendments on campaign finance would reshape the constitutional space in which voters, candidates, and organizations participate in elections, potentially permitting spending caps and corporate-spending bans that current First Amendment doctrine (post-Citizens United and NRSC v. FEC) forecloses. For affected groups, this determines whether statutory tools like disclosure, public financing, and PAC restrictions can be paired with direct limits — a contested question with strong arguments on both political-equality and free-speech grounds.