A group named "United To Amend" has been prodding local governments to ask for a Constitutional amendment to overturn Supreme Court rulings on money and politics.
A 2010 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court called Citizens United held that the free speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political communications by corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.
More than 820 communities across the U.S. have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment, including over 160 governments in Wisconsin and 20 state legislatures.
Locally, seven towns and the City of Rhinelander passed the measures, mostly by a 4-1 margin.
Oneida county is now being asked to join in.
The Administration committee Monday heard from several speakers that the county should move the measure to the county board floor. Committee member Billy Fried(freed) of Minocqua said while some towns supported it, not all, and the county measure would cover all the governments. Minocqua did not have the measure on the spring ballot.
Committee members said the proposal was not in the form needed to move it to the full board, so the committee voted 4-1 to have the measure put into language that can be considered.
They will vote again when the committee meets later this month. If approved, it would go to the board in August.
