On January 17, at the first Austin City Council meeting of 2013, Council Members Bill Spelman will sponsor and Kathie Tovo and Laura Morrison will cosponsor a non-binding resolution for adoption which calls “for a Constitutional Amendment and/or other legislative actions ensuring that money is not speech, and therefore the expenditure of money to influence the electoral or legislative process is not a form of constitutionally protected speech, and shall be regulated.” This is agenda item #53 on the draft Council meeting agenda.
This resolution was proposed to City Council by the Occupy Austin End Corporate Personhood Working Group, Coffee Party Austin, and Central Texas Move to Amend, who are all part of the grassroots partnership known as Texans United to Amend. This effort is part of a larger nationwide campaign to garner support for a constitutional amendment to reverse U. S. Supreme Court decisions that have equated money with speech and given corporations free reign to spend corporate money to influence elections.
If passed, Austin will join over 300 municipalities that have passed similar resolutions, and will be the first of its kind to pass in Texas. This resolution is supported by numerous civic organizations and local businesses in Austin.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN SUPPORT?
- Please email or call Council Members Spelman, Tovo and Morrison, and thank them for agreeing to sponsor this resolution.
- Please email or call the Mayor and all other Council Members today to ask them to consponsor this resolution.
- Please appear at the City Council meeting on January 17 to show your support. Parking is free in the City Hall parking garage. You can sign up to speak on agenda item #53 at the City Hall kiosks starting on Monday, January 14.
- Attend a rally on the City Hall Plaza from 4-6 p.m. on January 17. Council Member Spelman is expected to address the rally at 5:30 p.m.
- Sign the Texans United to Amend petition at bit.ly/TXUnited2Amend
Contact information for Austin City Council:
Mayor Lee Leffingwell lee.leffingwell@austintexas.gov
Amy Everhart (Policy Director) amy.everhart@austintexas.gov 974-2250
Mayor Pro Tem, Place 6, Sheryl Cole sheryl.cole@austintexas.gov
Michael McGill (Policy Director) michael.mcgill@austintexas.gov 974-2266
Council Member Place 1, Chris Riley chris.riley@austintexas.gov
Matt Parkerson (Executive Assistant) matt.parkerson@austintexas.gov 974-6023
Council Member Place 2, Mike Martinez mike.martinez@austintexas.gov
Robert Garza (Chief of Staff) bobby.garza@austintexas.gov 974-2264
Council Member Place 3, Kathie Tovo kathie.tovo@austintexas.gov
Shannon Halley (Policy Aide) shannon.halley@austintexas.gov 974-2236
Council Member Place 4, Laura Morrison laura.morrison@austintexas.gov
Leslie Hethcox (Constituent Liaison) leslie.hethcox@austintexas.gov 974-2258
Council Member Place 5, Bill Spelman bill.spelman@austintexas.gov
Heidi Gerbracht (Policy Director) heidi.gerbracht@austintexas.gov 974-2256
The resolution passed unanimously!