US Lawmakers Consider Amending Constitution to Allow Foreign

 

Capitol Hill

U.S. lawmakers are considering amending¹ the Constitution to allow foreign-born American citizens to run for president of the United States.

Senator Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, believes that the constitutional requirement that U.S. presidents be born in this country is both outdated² and discriminatory.

He says America's founding fathers drafted such a requirement more than two centuries ago out of concern that a European monarch³ might be imported to rule the United States.

At a committee hearing, he discussed legislation that he has introduced to change the Constitution to allow foreign-born Americans to run for the highest political office.

"The natural born citizen's requirement is something of an artifact from another time," Senator Hatch said. "It is time for us, the elected representatives of this nation, of immigrants by the way, to begin the process that can result in removing this artificial, outdated, unnecessary, and unfair barrier."

Under Senator Hatch's proposal, anyone who has been a U.S. citizen for at least 20 years and a resident for at least 14 years could be a candidate for president.

Similar legislation in the House of Representatives would allow someone who has been a citizen for 35 years to run for the White House.

A number of prominent Americans are barred from running for president, including California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger, because they were not born in this country.

Senator Hatch noted⁴ that the U.S.-born requirement does not apply to other U.S. government officials, including those in Congress, the Supreme⁵ Court and the president's cabinet.

Still, some lawmakers are reluctant to tamper⁶ with the Constitution.

"In the event of the presidency⁷, that reserved right in the Constitution of birth, I do not think we can easily dispense⁸ with because it is so dispositively written in the Constitution," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat⁹.

Most lawmakers believe Congress is not ready to act on a constitutional amendment¹⁰ to change the birth requirements for presidential candidates anytime soon.

Any amendment to the Constitution requires approval by two-thirds of both the House and Senate, and then at least three-quarters of the state legislatures must ratify¹¹ it.
注释：
constitutional 宪法的
requirement 要求
outdated 过时的
discriminatory 有差别的
draft 起草
artifact 人造物品
legislation 立法
reluctant 勉强的
tamper with 篡改
ratify 批准

1 amending   

改良，修改，修订( amend的现在分词 )； 改良，修改，修订( amend的第三人称单数 )( amends的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Amending acts in 1933,1934, and 1935 attempted to help honest debtors rehabilitate themselves. 一九三三年，一九三四年和一九三五年通过的修正案是为了帮助诚实的债务人恢复自己的地位。
• Two ways were used about the error-amending of contour curve. 采用两种方法对凸轮轮廓曲线进行了修正。

2 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

3 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

9 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

10 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

11 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。