Top Dem appropriator also signs letter supporting Senate hearing to call attention to the importance of keeping power with people

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced her co-sponsorship of H.J.Res.25, a Constitutional amendment that would seek to limit the influence of money in politics. Lowey also signed a letter along with 62 other House Members to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in support of a public hearing on the matter beginning this week.

“Only a constitutional amendment that overturns deeply flawed Supreme Court decisions will return constitutional legitimacy to our campaign finance laws,” said Lowey. “That is why I co-sponsored this important amendment to our Constitution and why I applaud Senator Leahy’s decision to hold a public hearing, which is a critical step forward for a nationwide movement to restore the balance of power to the people for whom this democracy was founded.”

On Tuesday, June 3, 2014, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy will hold a public hearing to examine S.J.Res.19, an amendment to the United States Constitution that would grant Congress and the states the power to regulate the raising and spending of money with respect to federal and state elections.

The Supreme Court's decisions in Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC ensured that wealthy individuals, corporations, and other special interest groups can disproportionately influence the political process.

Congresswoman Lowey believes that the American people deserve a clean system of campaign finance, and she urges the House Judiciary Committee to join their Senate colleagues by holding hearings on H.J.Res.25.

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