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Campaign-finance advocates press committee to back Citizens United amendment and limits on corporate political spending
Summary
Several witnesses urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to advance amendments or resolves aimed at restoring limits on corporate political spending and reducing the influence of dark money, citing Citizens United (2010) and ongoing policy concerns.
A group of witnesses asked the Joint Committee on Election Laws to support amendments or state measures designed to curb the influence of corporate money in politics and to address the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision.
Ellen Fine described recurring personal health harms she attributes to pesticide policy and said a constitutional amendment to limit corporate political influence would help restore democratic accountability. Other witnesses connected the campaign-finance proposal to broader civic-reform efforts and local ballot-access issues, and urged Massachusetts to lead by example.
Speakers urged the committee to advance state-level constitutional language that would make clear that corporations are not persons with First Amendment spending rights equivalent to individuals, and to consider procedural mechanisms to make political spending more transparent. Nick Boccon and other advocates described recent history of political and legal shifts (including Citizens United) and urged Massachusetts to pass its own reform language to provide a model for other states.
The committee did not vote on any campaign-finance proposals during the hearing. Several witnesses offered to work with staff to refine resolution language.
