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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 20
Whereas, government of, by, and for the people has long
been a fundamental American value and We The People's
fundamental and inalienable right to self govern, and
thereby secure rights to life, liberty, property, and the
pursuit of happiness is guaranteed in the United States
Constitution and Declaration of Independence; and
Whereas, free and fair elections are essential to
democracy and effective self governance; and
Whereas, persons are rightfully recognized as human
beings whose essential needs include clean air, clean water,
and safe and secure food; and
Whereas, corporations are entirely human-made legal
fictions created by express permission of We The People and
our government; and
Whereas, in addition to these advantages, the great
wealth of large corporations allows them to wield coercive
force of law to overpower human beings and communities, thus
denying We The People's exercise of our constitutional
rights; and
Whereas, corporations are not mentioned in the United
States Constitution and We The People have never granted
constitutional rights to corporations, nor have We The
People decreed that corporations have authority that exceeds
the authority of We The People of the United States; and
Whereas, interpretation of the United States
Constitution by appointed United States Supreme Court
justices to include corporations in the term "persons" has
denied We The People's exercise of self governance by
endowing corporations with constitutional protections
intended for We The People; and
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Whereas, the judicial bestowal of civil and political
rights upon corporations usurps basic human and
constitutional rights guaranteed to human persons, and also
empowers corporations to sue municipal and state governments
for adopting laws that violate "corporate rights" even when
those laws serve to protect and defend the rights of human
persons and communities; and
Whereas, corporations are not and have never been human
beings, and therefore are rightfully subservient to human
beings and governments as our legal creations; and
Whereas, large corporations' profits and survival are
often in direct conflict with the essential needs and rights
of human beings; and
Whereas, the United States Supreme Court decision in
Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, which
rolled back the legal limits on corporate spending in the
electoral process, creates an unequal playing field and
allows unlimited corporate spending to influence elections,
candidate selection, and policy decisions, and forces
elected officials to divert their attention from We The
People's business or even vote against the interest of their
human constituents in order to raise competitive campaign
funds for their own re-election; and
Whereas, the monopolization of public speech by
corporations neither promotes nor protects free speech due
to the proliferation of anonymous contributions and spending
for political gain that promotes dishonesty and corruption,
preventing We The People from assessing the true motives of
the speaker; and
Whereas, We The People must be able to hold
accountable, by means of laws passed by elected state
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legislators, those who fund political speech when their
messages prove false or misleading; and
Whereas, those laws may reasonably regulate how money
is used to influence the outcomes of elections in order to
secure the interests of We The People to be represented and
participate in elections and self-government and protect the
integrity of elections and government against out-of-state
and foreign interests and undue influence of wealthy special
interests, whether of corporations, unions, or other
artificial entities; and
Whereas, tens of thousands of people and municipalities
across the nation are joining together to call for an
amendment to the United States Constitution to abolish
corporate personhood:
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved that the members of the
Missouri Senate, One Hundred Third General Assembly, Second
Regular Session, the House of Representatives concurring
therein, hereby strongly urge the United States Congress to
propose an amendment to the United States Constitution, in
accordance with Article V of the Constitution, which would
put to a vote of We The People a constitutional amendment
that provides that the states, within their respective
jurisdictions, may reasonably regulate and limit the
spending of money to influence campaigns, elections, or
ballot measures, and that in doing so may distinguish
between natural persons and artificial entities, such as
corporations, unions, and artificial intelligence; and
Be It Further Resolved that the Secretary of the Senate
be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this
resolution for the Majority and Minority Leaders of the
United States Senate and United States House of
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Representatives, and each member of the Missouri
Congressional delegation.