Proposed Amendments

Students in US Constitutional History were charged with drafting a constitutional amendment that had some realistic chance for ratification.  Here are the results of their initial efforts:

Gerrymandering

Sect. 1 – In the event a states’ congressional district mapping does not equally represent the minority party the highest court in the state, the respective State Supreme Court, shall have the authority to review it. If the court determines the map violates the one person one vote precedent established in Reynolds v. Sims, the Judiciary branch must work in tandem with the legislative body to create a more fair and free map. Every district under this Amendment shall represent the people who live in it, not just their partisan.

Internet Freedoms

Section 1  

  1. The Digital Footprint of a Citizen of the United States, regardless of age, Shall Not be bought, sold, or otherwise marketed by any business, corporation, or individual.
  2. Any collection of Individual User Data, public or private, regardless of purpose, shall be stored by the collector for a period of no greater than twelve months.

Section 2  

  1. All internet traffic accessed within the United States shall be subject to protection under the 1st Amendment.  
  2. No Internet Service Provider shall, directly or indirectly, assist foreign states or individuals in censoring or restricting access to information 

Section 3  

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Digital Privacy

The peoples’ right of privacy and security expands to their data and metadata (technological information) and shall not be infringed upon without a warrant issued by a judge. 

Election Holiday

Days of federal election, where the offices of the President, as well as the Senate and the House of Representatives, are decided, will be federal holidays. There are to be no adult citizens over the age of eighteen years old at work, for it is their duty and privilege to exercise their vote.

Term Limits

Section 1

No person shall be elected to the Senate or the House of Representatives more than twice consecutively.

Section 2

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

This amendment shall not be construed as to affect the election or term of any Congressperson chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Balanced Budget

All of Congress and the Executive shall agree on a balanced budget each fiscal year. If said budget is exceeded, it shall only be surpassed through a three-fifths vote of Congress.

Right to Bear Arms
Amendment II is repealed and replaced with the following:
The right and authority of the Federal and State governments to keep and bear arms shall not be proscribed or limited.  The right of all persons to keep and bear arms shall be controlled by Congress.
Congressional control of elections
Article I, Section 4 is repealed and replaced with the following:
The times, places, and manner of elections for federal office and the qualifications of voters in same shall be prescribed and controlled in each state by the Government of such states, but Congress may at any time by law make or alter such actions or regulations.
Second Paragraph of Section 1 of Article Ii is repealed and replaced with
the following:
     Each State shall elect, at a general national election, the terms and  details of which shall be set by Congress, a number of Electors, the number of which shall be equal to the number of Representatives to which that State is entitled in Congress on the date of the election.

Age for President

Section 1

No Person shall be permitted to hold the Office of the President of the United States that has not attained the Age of Forty; neither shall a Person be President that has not held, for the Minimum duration a single full Term, an Office of State Legislator, State Executive, or Member of the Congress. Nor shall a Person hold the Office of President that is not a natural born Citizen, or that has not resided within the borders of the United States for Fourteen years.

Section 2

In the case that a President is removed from Office by his death, resignation, conviction of Impeachment by the Senate; or by his own written declaration or that of other officials in Federal Government bodies that he is unfit to complete the Powers and Duties of his office, as laid out by the Twenty-Fifth amendment; the official that assumes these powers, by the Twenty-Fifth amendment, may be the Exception in that these Requirements may be Optional.

Section 3

This amendment shall not affect the current term or election of the President of the United States.

Liberties Committee

Upon ratification of this amendment, there shall be a committee created focused solely upon the issue of individual liberties and rights. The committee will work to defend the liberties and rights of all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States. The committee shall separate from other branches of the government and shall not be influenced by such. The committee will be comprised of a vast range of demographics to represent as many aspects of the population as is reasonable. The Supreme Court historically represented the protector of individuals rights by as prescribed by the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court deals with the constitutionality of laws brought to them, they are not specifically for the individual liberties they were in the beginning of the court. Therefore, a new body must be made to ensure the protection of individual liberties for everyone in order to truly live up to the promises made by the Constitution of the United States.