CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE INFORMATION PACKET·€¦ · CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE . Friday. September 21. st . Debate Registration 7:00-8:00 pm Speech-and Congress-only Registration

YALE UNIVERSITY INVITATIONAL

20TH EDITION

SEPTEMBER 2 1 ~23, 2012

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE INFORMATION PACKET·

FOR CONTESTANTS, JUDGES, AND

COACHES

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Friday. September 21st

Debate Registration

7:00-8:00 pm Speech- and Congress-only Registration

Saturday, September 22nd

8:00 Ballot Pickup for Judges - LC Building

8:15 am-n:30 am Session One

12:30 pm-3:30 pm Session Two

4:00 pm-7:00 pm Session Three

8:30 pm Semifinal Session Competitors Announced online

Sunday, September 2id

8:00 am Judges' Meeting - Elimination Rounds

8:15 am-1O:45 am Semifinal Session

n:45 am-2:45 pm Final Session

3:30 pm Awards Assembly

***Important Note: the information in this packet is tentative with regard to preliminary and elimination round format. If numbers drop significantly between the release of this packet and the beginning ofcompetition, the tournament reserves the right to adjust the numbers and procedures for semifinals, etc., accordingly.

OFFICIAL PROCEDURAL RULES

The rules contained herein are designed to promote procedural unity among the chambers. They are subject to change by the staff at any time, but they may NOT be altered or ignored through a suspension of the rules by the chamber.

--DECORUM: Each preliminary chamber is designated as a HOUSE or SENATE. A member of the House of Representatives is always referred to as "Representative," while a member of the Senate is always referred to as "Senator." The Presiding Officer ofa House of Representatives is addressed as "Mister/Madame Speaker," while the Presiding Officer ofa Senate is addressed as "Mister/Madame President." The Presiding Officer is responsible for enforcing proper decorum in the chambers.

--LEGISLATIVE DAY: A legislative day is one session; speaker order (recency) resets after each session.

--RECOGNITION OF SPEAKERS: The RECENCY system, as explained by the National Forensic League, is the required method for recognizing speakers at this tournament. Presiding Officers are required to use this form of recognition. Individual recency is to be used at all times; other systems are prohibited!

--QUESTIONING: A MANDATORY two minute questioning period follows all AUTHORSHIP, SPONSORSHIP, and SPONSORSHIP ON AMENDMENT speeches; a twominute questioning period also follows the FIRST NEGATIVE speech on any item of legislation. The Presiding Officer recognizes legislators who wish to ask a question ofa speaker; the speaker MAY NOT perform this function him/herself. All other speeches will have a mandatory one-minute questioning period that MAY NOT be suspended. The PO has an obligation to rule "two-part," misleading, or irrelevant questions OUT-OFORDER during preliminary and semifinal debate.

--AGENDA ORDER: Each chamber determines its own agenda order based on the legislation assigned to it by this packet. All legislation assigned to a chamber must be debated before the chamber may proceed to legislation assigned to another chamber. In addition, the minimum cycle rule as outlined below applies to all legislation debated by a chamber.

--LEGISLATION WITHOUT AN AUTHOR: If the author ofa bill or resolution is not present in the chamber, withdraws from the tournament, or waives service as the author, a SPONSORSHIP speech is in order. Sponsorship is determined by recency. The sponsor becomes accountable for the mechanics of the bill and must yield to two minutes of questioning from the chamber.

--VOTING: The PO determines the method of voting on each question that comes before the chamber, EXCEPT:

1. For final votes on legislation, amendments, and motions to appeal the chair, a recorded vote must be taken. 2. On all other votes, "voice voting" is acceptable. A recorded vote must follow if any member asks for a division. 3. When a member of the chamber moves for a roll call vote and the motion is agreed to by 1/5 of the chamber.

ALL simple majority votes are based upon the number oflegislators PRESENT and VOTING in the chamber; therefore, the PO may not call for or count abstentions. For all votes requiring a fraction of the chamber to agree to a motion or question (2/3, 1/3, 1/5, etc.), the chair determines whether the chamber agrees with the motion/question using the number of legislators PRESENT in the chamber. Because of this system, the PO must track the number of legislators in the chamber at all times.

--AMENDMENTS: Legislators submit amendments to the PO in writing. A motion to amend is necessary to consider the written amendment. Once the motion is made, the PO decides if the amendment is germane. The PO may consult with the Parliamentarian to make this decision. If the amendment is found NOT germane, the chair rules it OUT OF ORDER and the amendment process stops. If the chair rules the amendment germane, the chamber considers the amendment. In this case, the PO reads the amendment to the chamber. A 1/3 second of the members PRESENT in the chamber is required to debate the ameridment. If the chamber votes a second, debate on the amendment commences immediately. There is no minimum cycle requirement for amendments, so legislators may make a motion to table or call the previous question on the amendment at any time. The first speech on the amendment is a SPONSORSHIP speech. The chair determines speaker recognition for the SPONSORSHIP speech on the basis of recency; the author of the amendment is NOT guaranteed the sponsorship speech. The sponsor accepts responsibility for the mechanics of the amendment and yields to two minutes of questioning. All amendment speeches receive a score and count towards recency. A majority vote is necessary for the chamber to adopt the amendment.

PRELIMINARY COMPETITION FORMAT

This year's Congressional Debate division features eight chambers. Chambers are designated as either a Senate or a House ofRepresentatives. Please see the Procedural Rules above for decorum rules related to this designation.

There are three sessions of debate in the Preliminary Competition. Each session consists of three (3) hours offIoor debate. There is one elected Presiding Officer in each session. For purposes of this competition, one complete session is a legislative day. Priority for speaking resets at the end of each legislative day. Thus, all legislators will have zero speeches at the start ofeach session.

Any member of the chamber may run for Presiding Officer but no legislator may serve in that office for more than one session. Elections are conducted by secret ballot, with a majority vote required to elect a candidate. Service as Presiding Officer counts as the first two speeches of the session for purposes of speaking priority.

Each chamber is evaluated by a Parliamentarian and one Scorer. The Parliamentarian remains in the chamber throughout the preliminary competition, while the Scorers rotate to different chambers throughout the tournament. The Scorers evaluate every speech that is given in a session, rating them on a scale Ofl to 6 (1 is low; 6 is high). The points awarded by a Scorer for a given speech can thus be used to determine NFL points for that speech. The Parliamentarian keeps notes on the overall performance of each legislator, but will not write formal ballots. The Parliamentarian will, however, write an evaluation for each Presiding Officer, awarding him/her up to 18 NFL points on the basis of his/her performance during a given session.

At the end of each session, the Scorer and the Parliamentarian will each independently nominate eight students for Best Legislator during the session. Each Scorer and Parliamentarian's nomination form is converted into credits by the Tabulation Staff with the 1st place legislator receiving 8 credits, the 2 nd place legislator receiving 7, and so on. Those students who were not ranked will receive zero (0) credits. The three students from each chamber who have earned the highest number of judge credits during the Preliminary Sessions will advance to the Semifinal Round. At the conclusion of the third session, the students who ranked fourth through ninth on the basis of judge credits will be placed into nomination for a preferential ballot election. Each student ballot will be worth one vote in this election, with the ballot of the Parliamentarian breaking any ties. If there is a tie in determining nominees for the election, the tie will be broken using inverse reciprocal ranks, followed by head-to-head competition, followed by Parliamentarian's preference. If a tie remains, additional nominees may be added. Finally, each Parliamentarian ranks the top 10 students in the chamber at the end of the third session on the basis of their overall legislative performance during the course ofpreliminary competition. The highest-ranking student on this record (Parliamentarian's Preferential Rating) who has not advanced from preferential balloting or judge credits will then advance to the Semifinal Round Thus, seven legislators qualify for the Semifinal Round from each chamber, as follows:

1. 3 students on the basis of total judge credits 2. 3 students on the basis ofpreferential balloting 3. 1 student on the basis ofParliamentarian's Preference

ELIMINATION ROUND FORMAT AND RULES

Fifty-six (56) contestants will advance to a Semifinal Round, which will feature four chambers of competition. Each ofthese chambers will be adjudicated by a panel oftwo Scorers and a Parliamentarian.

At the conclusion of the Semifinal Round, each of the two Scorers and the Parliamentarian in each chamber will independently rank the top six students in the session on the basis of Best Legislator. The rankings by the Scorers and the Parliamentarian will be converted by the Tabulation Staff using a credit system as in the Preliminary Competition, with 1st place earning 6 credits, 2

nd place earning 5 credits, and so on through the 6 th place legislator who will receive 1

credit. The eight legislators whose names do not appear on a given rank form receive zero (o) credits from that Scorer. Two students will be selected for the Super Session from each Semifinal chamber on the basis of these judge credits. One student will also advance to the Super Session on the basis of the Parliamentarian's preference for Best Legislator in each chamber.

Independent of the above process, a preferential ballot election will be held from a slate of six candidates as determined by the rankings of the Scorers. Each legislator will cast one vote in this election, as will the Parliamentarian (whose ballot will be weighted at 2 student votes and will also serve as a tie-breaker). The top two students in the preferential balloting will advance to the Super Session.

Thus, five students will advance to the Super Session from each Semifinal Chamber as follows: 1. 2 students on the basis ofpreferential balloting 2. 2 students on the basis of total judge credits 3. 1 student selected as Best Legislator by the Parliamentarian

Twenty (20) students will advance to the Yale Invitational Super Congress.

A panel of five Scorers and one Parliamentarian will evaluate the Super Congress. At the conclusion of the Super Congress, each will independently complete a ranking form for Best Legislator listing a maximum of ten competitors. The ranking forms of the Scorers will be converted by the Tabulation Staff into a credit system as outlined in the section on the Semifinal Round above. Those ten legislators who receive the highest number of credits will comprise the top ten contestants at the Yale Invitational. Each legislator as well as the Parliamentarian will complete a preferential ballot at the conclusion of the Super Congress The Tabulation Staff will also convert each Scorer's ranking form into a preferential ballot; along with the Parliamentarian's ballot, each of these will carry a weight of3 student votes. These preferen tial ballots will then be used to determine the Champion of the Yale Invitational, with the Parliamentarian's ballot being a tie-breaker.

Elimination Round Legislation will be released on the tournament website on Monday,

September 17th.

YALE UNIVERSITY INVITATIONAL

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE CHAMBER ASSIGNMENTS

General Information for Contestants

.:. Find your name on the next page . •:. Be sure you take note ofwhether your chamber is a Senate or a House for the

purposes of decorum . •:. Remember to use the code that is associated with your name (your coach will

receive this at registration) at all times when speaking from the floor during Preliminary and Elimination sessions of the Congress. Do not use your school name to identify yourselfduring the course ofany session ofthe Congress.

Legislative Calendar

.:. Each piece of legislation has been assigned to the same chamber as its author . •:. All legislation assigned to a chamber must be debated before the chamber may

debate legislation assigned to a different chamber. Legislation assigned to a chamber may not be tabled for the purposes of moving forward to another chamber's legislation .

•:. In the event that a chamber completes its entire agenda, it may debate legislation assigned to one and only one additional chamber.

o Senate A will debate items from the agenda of House A. o Senate B will debate items from the agenda of House B. o Senate C will debate items from the agenda of House C. o Senate D will debate items from the agenda ofHouse D. o House A will debate items from the agenda ofSenate A. o House B will debate items from the agenda of Senate B. o House C will debate items from the agenda ofSenate C. o House D will debate items from the agenda ofSenate D.

House A House B Anant Dalela Bethany Ao Zoe Haugen Perry Castillo Joseph Heidt Huzefa Diwan Jonathan Hutton Ashley Edelstein Kaveh Issapour Jordan Friedman Max Liebeskind Vincent Gangemi Sarah Lubiner Amrithaa Gunabalan Spencer Lundy Jasper Kitchen Brandon Marks Matt Long David Millstein Kristen Love Desmond Molloy Nathaniel Mahowald Amelia Oon Jacob Martz Matt Pilsbury Tyler Minski Joseph Rossi Connor Murphy Tess Saperstein James Sullivan Sarah Spergel Sam Turer Josi Stidham Nick Verderame Jack Sullivan Pat Vullo AnboWei Kwadjo Walker Alex Zhang Cindy Wei

Senate A Senate B Michael Cervino John Barroso Nathaniel Ezolino Greg Bernstein Vishal Harpalani Dash Brown Delaney Herndon Nicole Castillo Peter Joyce Joanna Choi Hannah Kern Rodrigo Duluc Julia Kerr Isabel Gabaldon Abby Marone Anne Gonzales John McKay Annarose Jacob Brian Melniker Kelly Jiang Eric Moeller Andrew Johnson Kevin Mohabir Brian Monroy Sean O'Donnell Beth Moses Christina Paolicelli Johnathan Neshiwat Eun Park Joe Paolicelli Julie Salzinger Gabrielle Perschilli Nina Schulze Nova Quaoser Thomas Taylor Antonio Rodriguez Stephen Tyler Harry Townsend Julia Whitten Ben Wexler

House C House D Charlie Baker Siddharth Balaji Jonah Birnberg Cameron Barkan Jared Blinderman Virginia Blessing Benedict Bolton David Colon Thomas Casey Fiona Davis Jaydev Dave Robert Del Mauro Jordan Day David Futoran Shomik Ghosh Felix Hartmann Abhi Gupta Justin Hill Grace Isford Scott Hutchins Landon Komishane David Jakuowicz Justin Lafazan Varun Jambunath Mike Moran Josh Litchman Anshika Niraj Stephie Maravankin Shivani Pampati Sean Martin Farsha Rizwan Anna Meyer Andres Smith Jeewan Naik Arushi Thaper Erik Rajunas John Trezza loana Solomon Caroline Wallace Tyler Sudeck Alven Wang

Senate C Senate D Michael Beer Sitaara Ali Dillon Chepp Joe DiPietro Julia Cohen David Farrow Andrew Colon Nic Gerard John D' Alessandro James Hu William Erwin David Jaslow David Goldman Janie Kim Maddy Haldeman Crystal Kong Justin Hsieh Kathryn Larkin Jamie Kaplan Abe Mendelson Alexander Machtay Jay Rajan Lucas Martz Raymond Rif Stephanie Mellert Dana Shively Atreya Misra Aaron Singer Conor Mittelstadt Jared Sutton Josh Podpora Andrew Tierney Kate Rose Charlie Tomb Diego Rosette James Venia Noelle Rutland Derrick Yao William Smith Sunny Zhang Emily Welles

House A Legislation

A Resolution to Bolster Commercial Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa

1 WHEREAS, The United States' relations in Sub-Saharan Africa are poor in comparison

2 to those that countries such as China have in the region; and

3 WHEREAS, The populations and economies of Sub-Saharan African nations are

4 among the fastest growing in the world; and

5 WHEREAS, Competition to do business is growing quickly in the region; now,

6 therefore, be it

7 RESOL VED, By the Congress here assembled, that trade and investment in Sub-Saharan

8 Africa is promoted in order to develop positive relations in the region, and

9 to allow American businesses to take advantage of a highly profitable

10 market.

Introduced by Joseph Heidt,

La Salle College High School

A Bill to Stimulate Demand

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION l. A. The United States shall establish an American Homeownership Trust

3 (AHT) with the purpose of buying back and refinancing mortgages.

4 i. The AHT shall be allocated $300 billion to refinance underwater

5 mortgages. Mortgages shall be refinanced either to IS-years at 4%

6 interest or to 30-years at 5% interest.

7 ii. The AHT shall have the right to resell these refinanced

8 mortgages to investors or banks.

9 B. The Federal Government shall allocate $300 billion to states in relief

10 aid, to be spent on rehiring state workers, repairing and rebuilding

11 infrastructure, and other programs deemed acceptable by the Federal

12 Government.

13 SECTION 2. "Underwater mortgages" are mortgages for which the amount

14 withstanding on the loan exceeds the free market value of the home.

15 SECTION 3. A. The AHT shall be administered by the Federal Housing Administration,

16 a section of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

17 B. The funds in section 1 B shall be allocated jointly by the Department of

18 Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department

19 of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development,

20 and any other cabinet departments that the president deems appropriate.

21 SECTION 4. This law will take effect within three months of passage.

22 A. The purchase of mortgages shall terminate three years after passage.

23 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Introduced by, Max Liebeskind Stuyvesant High School

A Bill to Reform Disclosure Requirements for 501(c)(4) Organization

1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2. SECTION 1. Full disclosure of the identity of donors to 501(c)(4) social welfare

3. organizations will be mandated.

4. SECTION 2. All 501 (c)( 4) organizations will be mandated to provide a

5. document for public viewing of all donations made to their group.

6. SECTION 3. The Federal Election Commission will enforce this legislation.

7. SECTION 4. This law will take effect within one year of passage.

8. SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null

9. and void.

Introduced by Sarah Lubiner, Pine View School

A Bill to Reform Education in the Middle East

BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States hereby offers need-based aid to Middle Eastern states in

3 return for American-backed education reform. This includes, but is not

4 limited to, school construction, curriculum secularization, educational

5 materials, school security, and empowerment of female students and

6 teachers. A minimum of five hundred (500) million dollars will be

7 allocated for the implementation of this bill.

8 SECTION 2. Need-based aid is defined as aid a specific country needs, including but not

9 limited to food aid, technological aid, developmental aid, humanitarian aid,

10 or any combination thereof. Military aid will not be considered.

11 SECTION 3. The Defense, Education, and State Departments will work together to

12 ensure proper implementation.

13 A. The Defense Department will oversee deployment of necessary troops

14 to protect hostile school environments.

15 B. The Department of Education will deploy experts to lead curriculum

16 change and school reform, to be approved by local and national leaders.

17 C. The State Department will work with Middle Eastern leaders to achieve

18 reasonable reforms, oversee use of aid, revoke aid upon misuse, and

19 deploy Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) to build new education

20 infrastructure.

21 SECTION 4. This bill will take effect upon its passage.

22 SECTION 5. All other laws in conflict with this policy are hereby declared null and void.

Introduced by Brandon Marks ofAmerican Heritage School Plantation

A Resolution Amending the Constitution to Repeal the 17th Amendment

WHEREAS, In order to give States a voice in the Federal Government; and

2 WHEREAS, State's rights have been diminished from what they once were in the

3 Federal Government; and

4 WHEREAS, The House ofRepresentatives was there to represent the people; while the

5 Senate was there to represent the states; and

6 WHEREAS, Over time we have seen the affects of this amendment where the power

7 once held by State Legislatures has been taken over by Special Interest

8 groups which neither serves the success for America or it's People; now,

9 therefore, be it

10 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following article is

11 proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which

12 shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when

13 ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within

14 seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:

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16 SECTION 1:

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19 SECTION 2:

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Introduced by. David Millstein Bronx Science

- ARTICLE-

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two

Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof,

for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by

appropriate legislation.

The LGBT Equal Protection Act of 2012

1 SECTION 1: Goods or money originating from countries that criminalize LGBT status, or association 2 with LGBT persons, will be prevented from entering the United States.

3 Subsection A: LGBT status is defined as any of the following: 1) romantic or emotional attraction 4 toward members of the same gender, 2) romantic or emotional attraction toward members ofeither 5 gender, or 3) an individual's identification with a gender other than his or her own.

6 SECTION 2: United States citizens, companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations will 7 not be permitted to send goods or money to countries that criminalize LGBT status, or association with

8 LGBT persons.

9 Subsection A: If a United States citizen, company, government agency, or nonprofit organization sends 10 money or goods through a third party to a country that criminalizes LGBT status or association with 11 LGBT persons, they will be subject to the penalties in Section 4 of this bill.

12 Subsection B: Permanent residents of, and guest workers in, the United States will not be allowed to 13send more than $300 worth of money or goods in any calendar year to a country that criminalizes 14 LGBT status or associations with LGBT persons.

15 SECTION 3: Humanitarian aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or the

16 President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) will be exempt from Section 2.

17 Subsection A: Humanitarian aid will be defined as goods or money used to relieve a health crisis, or 18 a natural or man- made disaster.

19 SECTION 4: Violations of this law will carry a penalty of up to $2 million.

20 SECTION 5: This legislation will be enforced by the United States Customs Service and the Attorney 21 General.

22 SECTION 6: This legislation will go into effect immediately after passage.

23 SECTION 7: All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Respectfully submitted by Rep. Desmond Molloy ofFalmouth High School.

A Bill to Implement Information and Communications Technology in Cuba


2 SECTION 1. The United States eliminate all tariffs preventing the establishment of

3 Information and Communications Technology (lCT) in Cuba.

4 SECTION 2. ICT is defined as, but not limited to, telephone lines, wireless internet, etc.

5 SECTION 3. The Department of Commerce shall work in conjunction with the

6 Department of Treasury to determine which tariffs shall be eliminated to

7 encourage the development ofICT and infrastructure by private

8 businesses.

9 SECTION 4. This law will take effect within six months of passage.


Respectfully Submitted,

Tess Saperstein

Dreyfoos School ofthe Arts

A Bill to Prohibit Teacher Academic Dishonesty

Section 2: Line 1: Academic dishonesty is defined as plagiarizing, cheating, or falsifYing tests. Line 2: As of now, students are the only people who may be held accountable for Line 3: academic dishonesty, when, in many cases, teachers may be equally Line 4: responsible, if not more so.

Section 3: Line 5: We must fix this problem by making any case where academic dishonesty Line 6: is an offense that teachers may be held accountable for with punishments Line 7: parallel to the crime.

Section 4: Line 8: Be it hereby resolved by the student congress here assembled that any Line 9: teacher suspected of academic dishonesty is forced to a hearing of his or her Line 10: case and in the instance that he or she is found guilty Line 11: A: their teaching license is revoked immediately and permanently Line 12: B: they are indicted with charges of fraud and will face will face the Line 13: same penalty as a Class D felony: up to a $5,000 fine and 1-5 years in Line 14: federal penitentiary.

Section 5: Line 15: This bill will go into effect the following odd numbered year after passage, Line 16: if passed today, it will go into effect in 2013, as it will apply to the 2013Line 17: 2014 school year.

Section 6: Line 18: All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void

Respectively Submitted: Josi Stidham Hazard High School

A Resolution to Increase Energy Research

l.WHEREAS: The United States has a decreasing science and technology presence globally and

2. WHEREAS: Alternative energy is a sustainable way to become energy independent in the long term

3. and,

4. WHEREAS: The private industry will not fund forms of alternative energy that are unprofitable in the

5. short term,

6. BE IT RESOLVED: By this congress here assembled that the United States strive to achieve energy

7. independence in fifteen years and

8. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT: The United States place a greater emphasis on science and

9. technology research to increase our alternative energy initiatives and

10. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT: The United States increase funding to all science and

11. technology initiatives.


Anbo Wei Needham High School

Senate A Legislation

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The Latin American Safety Act of 2012

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The United States will allocate 20 million dollars to end corruption, drug

trade, terrorism and violence in South America's Triple Frontier, where

Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.

SECTION 2. The United States shall use half the money allocated to set up institutions

for drug rehabilitation, education, and shelter for abused citizens or ex

drug traffickers seeking refuge. The second half of the money shall be

used to train the police forces of Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), Ciudad del

Este(Paraguay), Foz do Igual(u in Brazil, each located in the Triple

Frontier Border Zone.

SECTION 3 After the one year expires the United States shall continue to aid the

institutions, governments and police forces with a sum of 5 million a year.

Furthermore each year the United States shall conduct meetings with the

leaders of these countries and leaders of the cities in the area to increase

transparency and governmental accountably in relation to drug trafficking.

Should these meetings reveal any infractions by the governments

involved, all funding will be revoked.

SECTION 4. A. The funding for this legislation shall be regulated and allocated by the

the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC), who shall offer an

emergency compact to Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.

SECTION 5. This law will take effect within six months of passage.

SECTION 6. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Introduced by. Michael Cervino Ridge High School NJ

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2012 High Speed Rail Subsidization Act


SECTION 1. Any plans for high speed railways in or between any metropolitan areas of

the United States with proper local and state approval shall receive 50%

funding from the Federal Budget of FY2013 to complete said project.

SECTION 2. The funds shall be given to private corporations or state governments upon

request and proper approvaL

SECTION 3. A maximum of two projects can be approved for any given year and no

two projects can compete in the same metropolitan area for market share.

SECTION 4. The Federal Government shall receive 40% of all profit from fares

charged for train use while the private corporation or state government

takes charge of proper staffing and maintenance.

SECTION 5. A. The Department of Transportation, Department ofCommerce, the

Interstate Commerce Commission, and the Army Corps of Engineers shall

oversee the construction and planning of the two possible projects per

year.

B. In the event of an act of corruption during any of the projects'

construction, 25% of Federal funds shall be removed until proper

disciplinary and legal action take place.

SECTION 6. This law will take effect immediately.


Introduced by. Nathaniel Ezolino of Western High School.

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A Bill to Abolish the Food and Drug Administration


SECTION 1. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hereby be abolished.

SECTION 2. All funding to the FDA will be stopped.

SECTION 3. The Department of Health and Human Services will be in charge of

abolishing the FDA.

SECTION 4. The abolishment of the FDA will take effect immediately.


Introduced by Vishal Harpalani, Suncoast Community High School

A Resolution to Urge the President to Intervene in Syria

1 WHEREAS,; The situation in Syria is progressively growing worse and

2 WHEREAS,; the country is on the verge of civil war and

3 WHEREAS,; Supranational organizations' efforts have been unable to prevent the

4 escalation of violence and

5 WHEREAS,; The United States has the ability to aid the Syrian civilians and

6 WHEREAS,; now, therefore, be it

7 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled to urge the president to send military

8 force into Syria to remove the AI-Assad regime.

Introduced by Hannah Kern

St. Thomas Aquinas High School

A Resolution Repeal the 22nd Amendment

1. Whereas: The president can only currently serve two terms, and

2. Whereas: The executive branch does not have enough time to actually accomplish

3. something, and

4. Whereas: The presidency's power has been undermined by Congress, and

5. Whereas: The 22nd Amendment limits the presidency, and

6. Whereas: The 22nd Amendment infringes upon democratic ideals.

7. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS STUDENT CONGRESS THAT:

8. THE UNITED STATES SHOULD REPEAL THE 22ND AMENDMENT AND

9. ALLOW THE PRESIDENT TO SERVE AS MANY TERMS AS NECESSARY.

Respectfully submitted,

Julia Kerr, EL Meyers High School

A Bill to Modernize the United States' Nuclear Weapons Arsenal

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1 Section 1: Be it enacted that the United States shall modernize its nuclear weapons arsenaL

2 Section 2: Nuclear weapons arsenal shall be defined as the nuclear weapons stockpile and 3 nuclear weapons delivery systems 4 Modernize shall be defined as the act of using new technology and scientific 5 knowledge to progress the development ofthe United States' current nuclear weapons 6 arsenaL

7 Section 3: This process shall be overseen by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear 8 Security Administration (NNSA) and shall include:

9 a. The modernization and refurbishing ofnuclear warheads for short term and long 10 term reliability. 11 b. The modernization and refurbishing of long range and short range delivery 12 systems for short term and long term reliability. 13 c. The modernization for the purposes of the potential alteration of the missions of 14 the United States' nuclear weapons arsenaL 15 d. The l\TNSA shall be allocated $9.6 billion in funding over the next 4 years for 16 maintaining, securing and modernizing the nuclear weapons arsenal.

17 Section 4: This bill will be enacted upon the start of the next fiscal year.

18 Section 5: All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void

Introduced by Abigail Marone, Notre Dame High School

A Resolution to Ensure Middle Eastern Security

1: Whereas, the United States has become greatly involved in the affairs of the Middle East in the

2: last decade;

3: Whereas, this involvement has inextricably tied our national security to the security of the

4: region;

5: Whereas, the nation known as the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly proven to be a

6: danger to the security of both the Middle East and the world;

7: Whereas, Iran has repeatedly worked towards the development and use of weapons of mass

8: destruction, contrary to U.N. Mandate and international accord;

9: Whereas, the development and use of said weapons threatens all nations and peoples;

10: Whereas, the State of Israel has been of great help in securing the region and has repeatedly

11: opposed the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran to gain the aforementioned weapons;

12: Be it resolved by the Congress assembled here today that the United States of America offer

13: all reasonable assistance to the State of Israel in any conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran and use

14: any means necessary and proper to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not develop and

15: utilize weapons of mass destruction.


John McKay

Chaminade High School

A Resolution to Dismantle the American Empire

L WHEREAS,

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3. WHEREAS,

4.

5. WHEREAS,

6.

7. RESOLVED,

8.

9.

10.

11.

The United States of America has a large amount of military bases spread

throughout the world; and

Many countries that have US military bases are capable ofdefending

themselves; and

The cost of maintaining these bases is burdensome to the United States;

now, therefore, be it

By this Congress that the United States shall dismantle and disarm or sell

its military bases in the eastern hemisphere that are in countries which are

capable of successfully defending themselves, are not necessary for

seeking victory in America's current military conflicts, and are not

defending important trade routes; and, be it

12. FURTHER RESOLVED, That this legislation shall take effect in February, 2013 and shall

13. be overseen by the Secretary ofState.

Introduced by Sean 0 'Donnell ofFordham Preparatory School

Technology Patent Reform Resolution

1 WHEREAS, the current patent system is inefficient, underfunded, and stifles innovation.

2 WHEREAS, current procedure hurt the American economy, job market and international 3 competition.

4 LET IT BE RESOLVED, that technology patent terms (excluding bio-tech and 5 Pharmaceuticals) shall be shortened to 10 years (excluding extensions).

6 FUTHER RESOLVED, that the US Patent and Trademark Office shall keep all fees collected.

Respectively Submitted,

Christina Paolicelli, Convent o/the Sacred Heart, CT

House B Legislation

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A Bill to Provide Aid to Lebanon to Protect Syrian Refugees


SECTION 1. The United States Federal Government shall provide funds to Lebanon to

provide shelters and education to Syrian refugees.

SECTION 2. Refugees shall be defined as Syrian nationals, who fled Syria with the

escalation ofthe Syrian Civil War.

SECTION 3. The Department of State will be responsible for allocating funds in the

amount of $1 00 million.



Introduced by, Amrithaa Gunabalan Pleasantville High School

A RESOLUTION TO URGE BETTER TREATMENT FOR TEACHERS


1. WHEREAS, Teachers all over the country are protesting and striking; demanding 2. better treatment and funding for both themselves and their schools; and

3. WHEREAS, If this problem is not addressed, the education of our country will further 4. lag behind with teachers not attending school and children not being properly 5.educated; and

6. WHEREAS, students are being the ones truly hurt by what is occurring across the 7.country, and this issue needs to be addressed immediately before further damage is 8.done to our declining education system; now, therefore, be it

9.RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that; better funding for national IO.educational policies is essential and should be dealt with urgently.

Introduced by Jasper Kitchen, The Berkeley Carroll School

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A Resolution to Urge Prison Reform

WHEREAS, The current method of detaining and incarcerating prisoners held on narcotic

related charges has left the criminal justice system of the United States overrun

with criminals held on drug related charges; and

WHEREAS, The cost of holding these prisoners for an extended period of time is not cost

effective compared to other options; and

WHEREAS, Criminals are not properly rehabilitated in prison environments: and

WHEREAS, Detention funds are not enough for the current facilities and maintaining of

the inhabitants so much that a $8.4 billion increase was requested for the current

year, a 10% increase from the budget of 20 11; and so it be

RESOLVED, That all prisoners in jail on charges only related to narcotics violations and

do not have any violent history as deemed by the court be placed in full time

rehabilitation centers as opposed to prisons; and be it

FURTHER RESOL VED, That all funding previously given to prisons for housing these

criminals will be given to the rehabilitation centers for the proper care and

funding for those involved.

Introduced by Matthew Long, Saint Joseph's Preparatory School

A Bill to Conditionalize Military Aid to Israel


2 SECTION 1. All military aid to Israel will be revoked if any hostile action is taken

3 against Iran.

4 SECTION 2. A. "Military aid" is defined as all US monetary aid, technological aid, or

5 weapons sales going to help execute any Israeli military operation.

6 B. "Hostile action" is any action that uses military force to prevent the

7 continuation of the Iranian nuclear program.

8 SECTION 3. The Department of Defense, in conjunction with the U.S. Defense

9 Technology Security Administration, will be responsible for the

10 implementation of this bill.

11 SECTION 4. This law will take effect immediately upon passage.


Introduced by Kristen Love St. Thomas Aquinas High School

A Bill to Fund Future Innovation

I BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States provide an additional $75 million annually to ARPA-E

3 to be used to fund the ELECTROFUELS project.

4 SECTION 2. The ELECTRO FUELS project is a project run by ARP A-E to provide

5 research funds to institutions that innovate in the field of new liquid

6 transportation fuels to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

7 SECTION 3. This policy will be enacted by Department of Energy in accordance with

8 the Department of the Treasury for the allocation of funds. Funds will be

9 re-allocated from Medicare and Medicaid funding.



Introduced by,

Senator Jacob B. Martz Manchester-Essex Regional High School

A Bill to Reform Higher Education


2 SECTION 1. There shall be funding for the founding of 1500 new technical community

3 colleges across the country.

4 SECTION 2. All engineering majors shall receive a 1 % interest rate on federal student

5 loans rather than 3.4%.

6 SECTION 3. There shall be a National University System of the United States

7 A. A center focused on the liberal arts shall be located near Houston,

8 Texas.

9 B. A center dedicated to the sciences shall be located near San Francisco,

10 California.

11 C. A center dedicated to engineering shall be located near New York, New

12 York.

13 D. The Universities shall be open to American Citizens and legal

14 Permanent Residents only.

15 E. Tuition for the first year of operation shall be $10,000 and will increase

16 in years thereafter at the rate of inflation.



Introduced by, James Sullivan lana Preparatory School

A Bill to Assume Eurozone Debt


2 Section 1. The Federal Reserve Bank shall make loans to the nations of

3 Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain. These loans shall total 250

4 billion dollars in total value and bear an interest rate of 1%.

5 Section 2. The debt ceiling shall be increased by 250 billion dollars.

6 Section 3. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, after consulting with the

7 secretary of the treasury, shall determine the number of loans made

8 available, the recipients of the loans, and the terms of the loans.

9 Section 4. All loans shall be made availably by November 1, 2012 the debt

10 ceiling shall be increased immediately upon the passage of this bill.

11 Section 5. All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this legislation are

12 hereby declared null and void.

Respectfully introduced, Nick Verderame Charlotte Latin School

The SEC Accountability Act

Be it enacted by this Student Congress here assembled that:

2 Section 1: The Securities and Exchange Commission abide by the current standards

3 upheld by non-independent federal agencies as outlined in Executive

4 Order 13563.

5 Section 2: "Current standards" shall be defined as agencies must,

6 (1) Assess the costs and benefits of the intended regulation and adopt

7 it only upon a reasoned determination the benefits justify the costs;

8 (2) Tailor its regulations to impose the least burden on society; and

9 (3) Review its regulations and orders periodically to determine if they

10 are outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively burdensome;

11 and modify, streamline, expand, or repeal them.

12 Section 3: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs shall oversee that the

13 rules of this bill are followed. A total of $5 million annually shall be

14 approprated to cover the operations and implementation of new requirements.

15 Section 4: The provisions of this bill shall take effect within six months ofpassage.

16 Section 5: All laws in conflict with this legislation shall be declared null and void.

Introduced by Sen. Kwac[jo Walker, Wellington High School

Senate B Legislation

A Bill to Stimulate Amtrak

1 Section 1: 3 billion dollars shall be given in funding to Amtrak in order to increase the

2 speed and efficiency of their trains.

3 Subsection A: Increasing efficiency shall encompass the following: track

4 upgrades, hiring of more employees, technology upgrades, and overall construction of

5 various rail lines.

6 Subsection B: The goal of these upgrades shall be for speed and efficiency alone.

7 Section 2: 2 billion dollars shall be given in funding to Amtrak to combat increasing

8 volume.

9 Subsection A: Combatting increasing volume shall include: purchase and

10 manufacturing of more trains, hiring of more employees, upgrade of rail stations and

11 facilities, and technological upgrades

12 Subsection B: The goal of these upgrades shall be for the goal of combatting

13 increasing volume alone

14 Section 3: The United States Department of Transportation shall hold semi-annual

15 meetings with top Amtrak executives to ensure progress.

16 Section 4: All legislation in conflict with this bill is declared null and void.


Dash Brown

Pennsbury High School

A Resolution to Decrease Foreign Aid to Israel

1: Whereas: Foreign aid creates economic and political dependence, and;

2: Whereas: The United States is currently facing economic turmoil, and;

3: Whereas: There are other nations more deserving of foreign aid assistance, and,

4: Whereas: Israel no longer warrants this aid, therefore;

5: BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The United States decrease foreign aid to Israel.


Joanna Choi

Syosset High School

A Bill to Regulate Social Network Site Privacy Policies


2 SECTION 1. The United States government will increase social networking site privacy

3 standards in order to protect its users.

4 SECTION 2. The US will increase the safety of users of social network sites by

5 A. adjusting policies to the age range of users of each site, and

6 B. clearly communicating privacy standards to users.

7 SECTION 3. The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) shall

8 implement this bill.

9 SECTION 4. This bill shall take effect 6 months after passage.

10 SECTION S. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Respectfully submitted by Isabel Gabaldon ofAmerican Heritage School at Plantation

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A Bill to Create International Unity on the Question of Syria


SECTION 1. A. The United States shall terminate its $925 million contract with

Russian-owned armament firm, Rosoboronexport.

B. The 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment shall be reinstated, thereby

severely limiting U.S. companies' ability to trade with Russia.

C. An additional 33% punitive tariff shall be placed on all Russian-made

goods being imported into the United States.

SECTION 2. A. Upon the agreement of Russia to vote at the United Nations Security

Council for international intervention in Syria, these tariffs will be

repealed and Rosoboronexport's contract reinstated.

B. Furthermore, upon the agreement ofRussia to vote at the UNSC for

intervention in Syria, a 10% tax cut shall be awarded for purchases on all

Russian-made goods for a one-year period.

SECTION 3. This bill shall be enforced by the Department of Treasury.

SECTION 4. This law will take effect within six months of passage.

SECTION S. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Introduced/or Congressional Debate by Annarose (AJ) Jacob, Stuyvesant High School

A Bill to Limit the Disproportionate Influence of Anonymous Funding in Federal Elections

Be it enacted by this Congress that,

1. Section One: All Political Action Committees be required to publicly disclose

2. to the Federal Election Commission the names of all donors who contribute

3. funds greater than or equal to ten thousand dollars,

4. Section Two: The Federal Election Commission may oversee penalties for

5. organizations and individuals that fail to comply with the above provision and,

6. Section Three: This legislation be put into effect no later than the first of

7. January of20l3.


Brian Monroy

Revere High School

A Bill to Establish a New F-4 Visa


2 SECTION 1. A) Students pursuing advanced degrees in Science, Technology,

3 Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the United States may enter the

4 U.S. on a new non-immigrant (F-4) visa.

5 B) Following completion of their degrees, the students will have one (1)

6 year during which they may continue to reside in the U.S. while seeking a

7 job in a STEM field.

8 C) After Securing full time employment in a STEM field, the graduate

9 may have their status adjusted to Legal Permanent Resident

10 SECTION 2. "STEM field" shall be defined as a field of study or occupation that is

11 listed on a Degree Program List maintained by the Department of

12 Homeland Security in conjunction with the Department ofEducation.

13 SECTION 3. The Department ofHomeland Security shall enforce this legislation.



Introduced by Beth Moses, Beachwood High Schoo!.

A Resolution to Legalize Illegal Immigrants

1 WHEREAS, there are millions of illegal immigrants in the United States, and

2 WHEREAS, there is no plausible method to expel these immigrants from the country, and

3 WHEREAS, these immigrants are an important part of our country's society and economy,

4 therefore,

5 LET IT BE RESOLVED, that illegal residents of the United States shall be eligible for

6 permanent residency status, being subject to all current regulations on permanent residency

7 (green card) applicants except those affected by their status as an illegal resident, and

8 LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that the granting of permanent residency for illegal

9 residents shall be exempt from all limits and quotas affecting the number of new permanent

10 residents or immigrants.


Joe F Paolicelli

Fordham Preparatory School

A RESOLUTION FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE OAS

1. WHEREAS, The relationship between the United States and the OAS is deteriorating, as well 2. as the economic state of the OAS member states; and since some of the Organization of 3. American States, are the poorest in the world; and since the lack of new infrastructure in some 4. OAS states leads to massive damage, costs, and death tolls in the hundreds of thousands 5. during natural disasters, 6. BE IT RESOLVED, By Congress here assembled that: 1% of the Gross Domestic Product of 7. the United States is annually allocated towards the development of the OAS member states, 8. excluding Canada. Development aid shall be defined as aid for education, 9. infrastructure, arid investment in business. to. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That any emergency aid be allocated from the same 1 %, for II. any OAS states that experience natural disasters or catastrophes.

Respectfully submitted by Antonio Rodriguez, Berkeley Carroll School

A Bill to Allow the Privatization Current and Future Roadways


2 SECTION 1: The United States Federal Government should allow for the privatization

3 of current and future roads for a set period of fifty years after which

4 control of such roads will return to the federal government.

5 SECTION 2. The private sector refers to the sector of business run by private

6 individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit.

7 SECTION 3. The Federal Department of Transportation would oversee this mandate. In

8 order to gain rights to build roads private companies will bid on roadways

9 and land were they wish to construct a roadway.

10 SECTION 4. This mandate will go in effect on September 26, 2014.


Introduced by Harry Townsend, Delbarton School

House C Legislation

A Bill to Establish Congressional Term Limits

BE IT ENACTED BY THIS CONGRESS THAT:

1. SECTION 1:

2.

3.

4. SUB-SECTION 1:

5. SUB-SECTION 2:

6. SECTION 2:

7. SECTION 3:

8.

Introduced by Jonah Birnberg

Millburn High School

All members of the United States Congress shall be

limited to the following terms over each congressman's

lifetime:

two (2) terms in the Senate.

four (4) terms in the House of Representatives.

This law will be implemented on January 1, 2019.

All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby

declared null and void.

A Bill to Reform Taxes to Stabilize the Economy


2 SECTION 1. The marginal tax rate for all United States residents earning over $400,000

3 annually will be increased to 39.6 %.

4 SECTION 2. The marginal tax rate for all United States residents earning less than

5 $250,000 annually will be decreased by 1.5% for each tax bracket.

6 SECTION 3. All deductions for United States residents earning over $400,000 annually

7 will be capped at 25%.

8 SECTION 4. A. Small business owners earning over $400,000 are exempt from the

9 provisions outlined in Section 3.

lOB.A small business is defined as one that is independently owned and

11 operated, is organized for profit, and is not dominant in its field. Eligibility

12 by size is·determined by the United States Small Business Administration.

13 SECTION 5. A. All small businesses will receive a tax credit of 5% ofthe annual wage

14 bill of each new employee, provided the employee is retained for at least 1

15 (one) year.

16 B. The tax credit will double to 10% if the hired employee was an

17 unemployed person prior to hislher hiring.



Introduced by

Shomik Ghosh Abington Heights High School

A Resolution to Bolster Relations with India

1. Whereas: the rise of China has threatened several Asian

2. allies of the United States

3. Whereas: the United States needs more allies to contain the

4. rise of China

5. Whereas: India has continued to grow economically,

6. militarily, and scientifically,

7. Be it resolved by the Student Congress here assembled that

8. the United States pursue intense relations and interactions

9. with the nation of India


Abhi Gupta

Shrewsbury High School

A Resolution to Redirect Funds for Alternative Fuel Sources to Solar Power

1: Whereas: Natural gas, clean coal, and nuclear technologies are taking long to develop,

2: Whereas: Gas and coal, clean or unclean, are nonrenewable resources, and;

3: Whereas: Solar Power technology is already developed and only needs investment to

4: Whereas: make it more widely available, and;

5: Whereas: Investment in the technology will inevitably bring down the cost of solar

6: Whereas; power for American citizens, and;

7: Whereas: Solar Power is one of the safest available sources of energy,

8: BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The United States redirect a portion of its funds

9: going to alternative fuel sources to solar power.

Respectively submitted,

Justin LaJazan

Syosset High School

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A Bill to Reinstate the PEPFAR Program


SECTION 1. Congress shall allocate $15 billion to USAID for the purpose of

combatting the spread ofHIV/AIDS globally over the next 5 years.

SECTION 2. This money will be provided to no more than 15 focus countries to combat

HIV/AIDS.

SECTION 3. A. The US Department of State shall decide how this funding should

be utilized.

B. The Department of State must decide which countries should

receive the PEPF AR funding.

SECTION 4. This law will take effect within one year of passage.


Introduced by Anshika Niraj Beachwood High School

A Bill to Improve the Health of Infants

1. Section 1:

2.

3. Section 2:

4. 5. Section 3:

6. 7.

8. 9. Section 4:

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11. 12. Section 5:

13. Section 6:

Consuming alcohol while pregnant can be potentially fatal to a fetus, as

can smoking while pregnant.

As of now, it is only recommended by medical professionals that mothers

not consume alcohol, smoke, or be around second hand smoke.

Be it hereby enacted by the student congress here assembled that all

Pregnant mothers take an alcohol blood test and a nicotine

test every prenatal visit. The cost of these tests will be paid for by the

patient's health care plan.

Failure to take and/or pass these tests will be considered child abuse and

will be punishable on a case-by-case basis using laws put into place by the

State in which the crime is committed.

This bill will go into effect ninety days upon being signed into law.

All laws in conflict with this bill will hereby become null and void.

Respectively submitted,

Shivani Pampati

Hazard High School

A BILL TO LOWER THE CORPORATE INCOME TAX RATE

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SECTION 1. The corporate income tax will be lowered by 5% for all income brackets.

3 SECTION 2. The corporate income tax will be defined as: "a tax levied on corporations'

4 profits."

5 SECTION 3. The Internal Revenue Service will enforce the provisions of this bilL

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SECTION 4. This law will take effect six months after passage.



Arushi Thaper Trinity Preparatory School

A Bill to Privatize NASA


2 SECTION 1. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall no

3 longer be funded by the federal government.

4 SECTION 2. All subsidiaries and components of NASA shall be sold to private

5 investors and companies.

6 SECTION 3. Progress on dismantling and reallocation of NASA's assets and funding

7 shall be overseen by the Senate Subcommittee on Science and Space.

8 SECTION 4. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shall be in charge of

9 regulating space travel.

10 SECTION 5. This law will take effect within two (2) fiscal years of passage.


Respectfully submitted, John Trezza Roslyn High School

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A Resolution to Support Afghan Stability

WHEREAS, the stability ofAfghanistan is necessary to combat terrorism and preserve

American security; and

WHEREAS, the Afghan government lacks accountability and transparency; and

WHEREAS, Afghanistan will hold elections in 2014; and

WHEREAS, American forces and funding in Afghanistan will be reduced after 2014;

and

WHEREAS, Afghanistan does have a stable source of funding to replace the United

States; and

WHEREAS, much of our aid to Afghanistan is not channeled through its government;

and

WHEREAS, Afghanistan continues to experience frequent attacks from insurgents and

assassinations of government leaders; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the United States continue to aid

Afghanistan politically, militarily, and economically after 2014 by helping

to institute political reforms, providing troops to prevent armed conflict,

and continuing to provide aid while increasing the percentage channeled

through the Afghan government.

Introduced by Caroline Wallace, St. Petersburg High School

Senate C Legislation

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A Bill to Withdraw Troops from Foreign Countries


SECTION 1. Troops stationed in foreign countries will return to the United States.

SECTION 2. A. Troops will come home from all countries except Afghanistan, Egypt,

Kuwait, South Korea, and Cuba.

B. The Department of Defense budget for fiscal year 2013 will be 600

billion. The Department of Defense budget for fiscal year 2014 will be

450 billion.

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense will be responsible for bringing these troops

home.

SECTION 4. A. The process of bringing the specific troops home will start immediately

and must be completed by the beginning of2014 fiscal year.

B. The specific budgets for the Department of Defense will be enacted in

fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2014 respectfUlly.

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null

and void.

Introduced by Michael Beer, Sun coast Community Highschool.

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A Bill to Amend the Tax Code


SECTION 1. Net capital gains and qualified dividends are hereby considered income for

purposes of taxation.

SECTION 2. A. Net capital gains are defined as money made by an increase in the

value of a long term capital gain that gives it a higher worth than the price

it was purchased at.

B. Qualified dividends are defined as dividends from a domestic

corporation or a qualifying foreign corporation from stock that has been

held for more than 60 days.

SECTION 3. Individuals who fall within the 10 to 15 percent income tax bracket will

not have their capital gains taxed.

SECTION 4. This law will take effect on October 1St, 2013.


Introduced by. Julia Cohen Roslyn High School

Syrian Intervention Resolution

1 WHEREAS, The international community shows no signs ofany intervention as Bashar al

2 Assad's regime becomes more violent and more difficult to deal with diplomatically; and

3 WHEREAS, the United State's support of intervention in Syria is both a call to action directed

4 towards the international community and is vital to put an end to an 18 month-long civil war; and

5 WHEREAS, fighting has already spilled over into parts of Lebanon and Syrian refugees are

6 spreading a new form of chaos that is destabilizing the Middle East; now, therefore,

7 LET IT BE RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that: the United States ofAmerica

8 shall support an international effort to stabilize Syria through: stabilization of Syria's borders,

9 creation of an international task force with the intent to come up with un-armed plans and

10 affirmation of the present EU sanctions, and

11 LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that all laws in conflict with this piece oflegislation or

12 that prevent non-military intervention into Syria are declared null and void.


John D'Alessandro

Fordham Preparatory School

A Bill to Increase Funding To NASA


2 SECTION 1. The United States should increase funding to the Nation Aeronautics and

3 Space Administration by 6 billion dollars for the goal of greater

4 development in space.

S SECTION 2. Funding would increase with the goal of greater development of space,

6 primarily deep space exploration and cryogenic technology to make such

7 journeys possible for astronauts.

8 SECTION 3. NASA will be in charge of spending and allocating the new funds.

9 SECTION 4. The funding will increase at the start of the next fiscal year.


Introduced by Justin Hsieh, Delbarton School.

A Bill to Invest in Rare Earth Elements


2 SECTION 1. $600 million shall be invested into United States based companies

3 working to secure the supply ofrare earth elements (REE's) for United

4 States consumption.

5 SECTION 2. "Securing" shall include the cultivation of necessary relationships,

6 development of US·led mining operations, and development of direct

7 supply chains. "Securing" shall also include research efforts aimed at

8 understanding efficient usage, substitute possibilities, and recycling REEs.

9 SECTION 3. Eligibility for receiving funding shall be determined by the following

10 breakdown:

11 A. The Department of Energy shall allocate $500 million to the companies

12 it sees fit to secure and develop the rare earth elements.

13 B. The United States Geological Survey shall receive $100 million to

14 conduct scientific research about the elements secured and the safest way

15 to secure them.

16 SECTION 4. This law will take effect within six months ofpassage.


Introduced by Alexander Machtay Beachwood High School

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A Resolution to Decrease Military Spending

WHEREAS, United States spent over 683 billion dollars on Military Spending in 2011;

and

WHEREAS, the United States is more than 15 trillion dollars in debt; and

WHEREAS, The United States spends more on its military than the next 20 top spending

countries combined; and

WHEREAS, The US is no longer deployed in Iraq, showing less of a need for military

spending; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the US Military budget be reduced

by 10% each year until it reaches 50% of the original amount, starting at

the beginning of the next fiscal year and that all savings be applied

directly to reduce the national debt.

Introduced by Lucas Martz Manchester Essex Regional High School

A Bill to Decrease Terrorism in India


2 SECTION 1. The United States shall provide $1 billion in military aid to the Republic

3 of India to combat terrorism rooted in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

4 SECTION 2. The aid shall be split accordingly:

5 A. $750 million will go towards military and infrastructure border

6 security to protect India against violence and terrorism along the India

7 Pakistan border.

8 B. $250 million will go towards increasing humanitarian aid to India.

9 SECTION 3. The Department of State will enforce this legislation in conjunction with

10 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).



Introduced by, Atreya Misra Ridge High School

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A Bill to Establish a Public Scholarship


SECTION 1. A new public scholarship shall be created, and said scholarship shall be named the American Public

Scholastic Investment.

SECTION 2. Public Scholarship shall be defined as a pre-determined quantity of money given to a prospective

college student with money stemming directly from the government.

SECTION 3. This legislation shall be overseen by the Department of Education.

A. The American Public Scholastic Investment, henceforth referred to as APSI, shall be awarded

solely on merit-based standards, i.e., previous achievements, standardized test scores, and

difficulty of courses taken. In no way shall financial need or place of residence affect the

selection of scholarship recipients. Students who have already completed one semester of

tertiary education may not apply.

B. The amount of cash to be awarded by APSI will be awarded on a two-tier system. Of all

applicants for the scholarship, the top one hundred applicants shall be awarded $100,000, and

the next top 1,000 applicants shall be awarded 40,000.

C. All money not used towards education must be returned to the Department of Education. Cash

awarded by the scholarship is not limited to a four-year education. This includes Medical

School, Law School, Graduate Studies, or Doctoral Studies. The scholarship money may not

be used towards any sort of primary or secondary education. This includes religious education

and boarding schools. It may also not be used towards any educational programs that are not

based upon accredited college courses, including summer institutes and non-college online

learning courses.

D. The distribution of AI'S! money shall be overseen by a board of top educators selected by the

Department of Education. This board's size shall be determined by the Department of

Education; however, this board shall not exceed 20 persons.

E. The money for the scholarship shall be allocated by cutting the funds to the Perkins loans

program and utilizing earmarked money. After said money is used up, new sources will be

invested in.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall be implemented as soon as it is passed.


Introduced by Billy Smith. Monticello High School

A Resolution to Begin Implementing Solar Roads in the United States

1. Whereas: The United States is ranked 39th out of 149 for the world's greenest

2. countries; and

3. Whereas: The United States needs to become more economically and

4. ecologically

5. friendly; and

6. Whereas: Solar roads are a huge step in this process; and

7. Whereas: Solar roads still need to be perfected before we can implement

8. them;

9. Whereas: Solar roads will help to make electric cars more functional for more

10. citizens, and

11. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS STUDENT CONGRESS HERE

12.ASSEMBLED that the United States grant $30 billion towards improvement

13. and afterwards, the start of implementation of solar roads in the United

14. States.


Emily Welles

E.L. Meyers High School

House D Legislation

A Resolution to Increase Oil Imports from Brazil

1 Whereas, Oil imports are key to running the day to day affairs of our country in many different

2 sectors for many different people.

3 Whereas, The current places we import oil from are unstable countries that we lack a strong

4 alliance with.

5 Whereas, Brazil's economy has improved and its oil resources are growing.

6 Whereas, Brazil is a viable trading partner that is underutilized by the United States.

7 Therefore be it resolved: The United States shall increase its oil imports from Brazil to over 15% of

8 its total oil imports by the year 2018.


Cameron Barkan

Pennsbury High School

A Resolution to Abolish Super PACs

WHEREAS, Super political action committees have allowed a small number of people to

2 have excessive influence over political elections,

3 WHEREAS, Allowing unlimited donations to outside groups has led to a rise in secret

4 funding of electoral campaigns,

5 WHEREAS, Super PACs pose a threat to democracy, therefore,

6 LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the Citizens United ruling shall be overturned, and

7 LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that all laws in conflict with this piece of

8 legislation are declared null and void.


Virginia "Jenny" Blessing, Convent a/the Sacred Heart, CT.

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A Bill to Accurately Reflect Unemployment


SECTION 1. In order to more accurately reflect unemployment statistics, the

Unemployment Agency will include the unaccounted for unemployed in

unemployment reports.

SECTION 2. The unaccounted for unemployed shall be defined as unemployed citizens

who no longer receive unemployment payments and are no longer

searching for a job.

SECTION 3. A. At the expiration of the unemployment payment cycle for each person,

the Unemployment Agency will add these citizens to a database of all

unemployed workers. The agency will then distribute information and

advice on job opportunities to citizens in the database.

B. Employers will be responsible for aiding the Unemployment Agency in

tracking the unaccounted for unemployed and maintaining the

unemployment database by submitting employment reports when hiring

the unaccounted for unemployed.

SECTION 4. This law will take effect on January 1,2013.


Introduced by Fiona Davis, Manchester Essex Regional High School.

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The "Plan Colombia" Reform Act


SECTION 1. The United States of America shall no longer send any money or equipment to the Colombian

Anti-narcotics Directorate to use for the aerial fumigation of Columbian fields.

SECTION 2. All money and equipment annually allotted for the Colombian National Police Aviation aerial

fumigation programs will be reallocated to the Air Bridge Denial Program, coastal and river

interdiction efforts, and national police interdiction efforts.

SECTION 3. This bill will be enforced by the Department of State and the Department of Treasury.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall be taken into effect January 1,2015.


Introduced by Robert Del Mauro Montville Township High School

The FRAC Act of 2012


2 SECTION 1. A. Section 1421(d)(I) ofthe Safe Water Drinking Act is amended by

3 striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: '(B) includes the

4 underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic

5 fracturing operations.'

6 B. Section 1421(d)(1)(C) of the Safe Water Drinking Act shall be

7 amended to include the following requirement: 'A person conducting

8 hydraulic fracturing operations shall disclose to the state prior to the

9 commencement of any operations a list of chemicals intended for use in

10 any underground injection during such operations, and not later than 30

11 days after the end of any hydraulic fracturing operations a list of the

12 chemicals used during such operations, Chemical Abstracts Service

13 numbers for each chemical, material data safety sheets, and the volume of

14 each chemical used.'

15 SECTION 2. A. Underground injection is defined as the propulsion of fluids into the

16 ground through injection wells.

17 B. Hydraulic fracturing is defined as the process by which underground

18 injection is used to retrieve natural gas from shale rock formations.

19 SECTION 4. This law will take effect within one month of passage.


Introduced by David Jakubowicz Nova High School

A Bill to Ban the Usage of Private Military Contractors in Conflict


2 SECTION 1. Private Military Contractors can no longer be hired to perform mission

3 critical functions in all conflict zones.

4 SECTION 2. "Mission critical functions" shall be defined as activities for which

5 continued performance is considered essential to support combat systems

6 and operational activities, including but limited to: the provision of

7 protective services, security advice and planning, prison administration,

8 interrogation, and intelligence gathering.

9 SECTION 3. A. The Congressional Armed Services Committee shall oversee the

10 enforcement of this legislation through its budgeting process.

11 B. A subcommittee will be appointed to determine which missions and

12 initiatives continue to utilize Private Military Contractors after the passage

13 of this legislation as well as the amount of money paid in contracts to

14 PMCs for mission critical functions. Each year the subcommittee shall

15 recommend budget cuts to the Departments of Defense and State equal to

16 the money used for these purposes.

17 SECTION 4. The Congressional subcommittee will reduce the budget of the Department

18 ofDefense and State budgets to reflect the funding for every mission and

19 initiative that continues to use Private Military Contractors.

20 SECTION 5. This law will take effect within one year of passage.


Introduced by Varun Jambunath, Beachwood High SchooL

A Resolution to Reduce Outsourced Jobs

1 WHEREAS, outsourcing and other such practices of tax evasion and cost reduction hurt the United States

2 economically; and

3 WHEREAS, outsourcing dismantles the framework ofthe public sector; and

4 WHEREAS, These practices are costing the Unites States millions ofjobs; and

5 WHEREAS, outsourcing leads to economically unbeneficial competition; and

6 WHEREAS, outsourcing increases the reliance ofthe United States on other nation's economies; now,

7 Therefore, be it

8 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the United States reduce outsourcing.

Respectfully introduced by Josh Litchman

Needham High School

A Resolution to Dollarize NAFTA

1 WHEREAS, the United States needs trade to increase its economic strength; and 2 WHEREAS, the North American Free Trade Agreement has not gone far enough 3 toward liberalizing trade in North America; and 4 WHEREAS, the U. S. dollar is currently facing pressure on its position as the world's 5 reserve currency; and 6 WHEREAS, greater unity would provide much needed growth and stability to the 7 region, therefore 8 BE IT RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the Federal Reserve, Mexican 9 and Canadian central banks be dissolved and be replace by the North American Central

10 Bank headquartered in Washington, D.C. Introduced by,

Sean Martin

lona Preparatory School

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A Resolution to Increase Foreign Investment in Underdeveloped African Countries

WHEREAS, Traditional methods of foreign aid to underdeveloped African countries have been mutually destructive and irreparably inadequate; and

WHEREAS, These underdeveloped African countries are trapped in a perpetual vitriolic cycle of poverty, famine, and socially pervasive corruption due to the failures of foreign aid; and

WHEREAS, The alternative of foreign investment in public infrastructure, housing and educational facilities in exchange for natural resources would be collectively beneficial for all collaborating nations; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the United States Government pursues a foreign policy objective of increased foreign investment in replacement of foreign aid in exchange for natural resources; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the US partitions the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations Security Council (UN Security Council) to provide oversight of development and construction of infrastructure to successfully and peacefully accomplish the initiative.

Introduced by Tyler Sudeck, Saint Joseph's Preparatory School

Senate D Legislation

A Bill to Reform Pakistani Military Aid


2 SECTION 1. Aid to the Pakistani military shall be cut from $650 million to $100

3 million.

4 SECTION 2. The $550 million cut, in addition to the $650 million cut earlier this year

5 from Pakistani military aid, shall be appropriated to the civilian

6 government.

7 SECTION 3. Within sixth months of the passage of this legislation, a committee will

8 convene to determine if the Pakistani military has attempted to reduce

9 corruption and if the civilian government has used aid to promote civilian

10 welfare. The recommendations of this committee will affect the future

11 balancing of aid between the Pakistani military and government.

12 SECTION 4. This law will take effect immediately.


Respectfully submitted by David Farrow, Charlotte Latin School

The Mexican Cartel Act of 2013

1. Be it enacted: The United States will create the Mexican Initiative for 2. Development & Stability (MIDS) in order to combat drug cartels in Mexico

3. Section 1: The United States will fund MIDS by ending the Merida 4. Initiative in Mexico by reallocating the Mexico funds that were used by the 5. Merida Initiative to MIDS

6. Section 2: 7. A) The Mexican Initiative for Development and Stability will be defined as 8. financial support from the United States in order to professionalize the 9. Police and Judiciary system of Mexico and also the use of funds to assist 10. with the development of Mexican industry 11. B) The Mexico Funds will be defined as all money used by the Merida 12. Initiative that are directly used in Mexico

13. Section 3: The US Department of State shall oversee ~UDS and will 14. reevaluate MIDS annually

15. Section 4: The Act will take effect January 1 st 2013

16. Section 5: All laws, in whole or in part, in conflict with this legislation shall 17. be declared null and void after judicial review

Respectfully Submitted

Nicholas Gerard Shrews bury Highschool

A Bill to Legalize Euthanasia

1: Section 1: Euthanasia by a licensed physician is hereby subject to legalization in all

2: fifty states.

3: Section 2: Euthanasia will only be available to patients with terminal illnesses, and

4: those patients must give written consent to be euthanized.

5: A: Patients who are comatose may not be euthanized unless stipulated in their

6: will.

7: B: Patients must be informed of all available choices of treatment for their

8: terminal illness before choosing to be euthanized.

9: C: Patients who wish to be euthanized must attend a minimum of six sessions

10: with a licensed psychiatrist, paid for by the patient, and must be deemed to be in a

11: sound state of mind in order to be euthanized.

12: Section 3: Euthanization will be carried out by gradually increasing the dose of

13: anesthetic the patient receives until the patient passes away.

14: A: The euthanization will be carried out by a doctor not currently treating the

15: patient

16: B: The euthanization will be carried out in the presence of the patient's current

17: physician, an additional physician who is neither performing the procedure nor the

18: patient's current physician, and a psychiatrist.

19: Section 4: This bill will come into effect 91 days after passage.


James Hu

Syosset High School

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A Bill to Standardize Electronic Medical Records and Billing BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. All healthcare systems in the United States will be required to use the same

SECTION 2.

SECTION 3.

SECTION 4.

SECTION 5.

SECTION 6.

universal, fully electronic system.

Let healthcare systems be defined as any hospital or other entity (government-run

or private) that handles healthcare and/or healthcare related administration and/or

information, including (but not limited to) Medicare, Medicaid, hospitals, clinics

and insurance companies.

A. The Department of Health and Human Services must develop and provide by

January 1,2013, a universal electronic medical record and billing system to be

implemented in all US hospitals and healthcare systems.

B. This universal records system must store information in a universal database,

in which each patient has one file containing all of their medical information from

all sources.

C: Patient files will only be made accessible to parties authorized by the patient

themselves, or parties with legitimate legal warrants to access them.

D: Unauthorized access of medical information is punishable with a minimum 10

year jail sentence, and $100,000 fine.

All healthcare organizations falling within the above definition must switch to this

new electronic record system by January 1,2014, or be fined $500,000.

This legislation shall be enforced by the Department of Health and Human

Services.

All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Introduced by Crystal Kong, Solon High School.

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A Bill Regarding Conflict Minerals


SECTION 1. Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act regarding conflict minerals is hereby

repealed. Furthermore Congress directs the SEC to reverse any regulations

put in place due to section 1502.

SECTION 2. Conflict Minerals will be defined as tantalum, tin, tungsten, gold or their

derivatives.

SECTION 3. The Securities and Exchange Commission is hereby directed to implement

said changes.



Introduced by Raymond Rif, Nova High School

Americans Rebuilding America


2 SECTION 1. 50 Billion US Dollars will be allocated to improve America's

3 infrastructure system

4 SECTION 2. A. "Infrastructure" will be defined as public Aviation, Bridges, Dams,

5 Drinking Water systems, Energy systems, Hazardous Waste systems,

6 Inland Waterways, Levees, Parks and Recreation, Rail Roads, Roads,

7 Schools, Solid Waste systems, Transit and Wastewater systems.

8 B. "Improvements" will be such that the quality of the infrastructure

9 system in America must receive at least a one letter grade improvement on

10 the average as rated by the American Society for Civil Engineers. The

11 Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure must also approve the individual

12 projects.

13 SECTION 3. The Department of Transportation, Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure,

14 and the American Society for Civil Engineers will oversee the

15 implementation of this bill.



Introduced by Dana Shively Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

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A Resolution to Amend the Constitution

to Eliminate Jury Trials in Criminal and Capital Cases

RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, the following article is

proposed as an amendment to the Constitution ofthe United States, which

shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when

ratified within seven years from the date of submission by Congress:

ARTICLE-

SECTION 1: Jury trials in criminal and capital cases are hereby

eliminated. All cases shall now be decided solely by the

judge designated for the proceedings. Proceedings in civil

trials and appeals courts shall remain unchanged.

SECTION 2: The Congress shall enforce this article by appropriate

legislation.

Introduced by: Jared Sutton ofAmerican Heritage School at Plantation

A Resolution to Restore American Education

1. WHEREAS, the Teaching American History program has been beneficial for

2. American education and,

3. WHEREAS, the funding for the Teaching American History program has expired,

4. BE IT RESOLVED, the Teaching American History program shall have it's funding

5, completely restored

Respectfully Submitted Andrew Tierney Introduced by Needham High School.

A Bill to Nationalize and Control the Sales and Possession of Fire Arms

within the United States of America


2 Section 1. A nation-wide gun control law shall be put into effect that bans the possession and

3 sales of although not limited to assault rifles, sub machine guns, and other military grade

4 hardware that can be used to plan and carry out massacres.

5 Section 2. This bill will not change the second amendment and small firearms such as

6 licensed handguns, shotguns, hunting rifles and associated equipment will still be legal with

7 stricter psych profiles and tighter guidelines for issuing permits to current and future gun

8 owners.

9 Section 3. To ensure the implementation of this Law, a special interagency joint task force

10 comprising the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

11 (ATF) will be created and tasked with ensuring the enforcement of this Bill.

12 Section 4. This Law will take effect immediately upon passage.

13 Section 5. If United States soil is compromised by a foreign power this Law is declared null

14 and void.

15 Section 6. All Laws in conflict with this Legislation are hereby declared null and void.

Composed and Introduced by James J Venia, Fordham Preparatory School.

Documents

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