HI HR25

Hawaii's legislature applies to Congress under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to convene a constitutional convention for proposing amendments to address campaign finance and the influence of special interests in elections.

The application specifically addresses concerns raised by the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and related cases that have affected the balance of representative democracy.

Hawaii requests an equal number of delegates to the convention as any other state, with the restriction that former or current federal office holders (elected or appointed) are ineligible to serve as delegates.

This application is intended to be considered alongside similar applications from Vermont, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and subsequent states until two-thirds of all states have applied for the convention.

The legislature directs certified copies of the resolution be transmitted to the President, Vice President, congressional leadership, and Hawaii's congressional delegation.