columbia 2015 legislation please note that the primary ... · columbia 2015 legislation please note...

Columbia 2015 Legislation

Please note that the primary legislation must be debated before the secondary (and ensuing) legislation is taken up,

through at least two cycles of debate.

A Bill to Ban Foie Gras to Protect Animal Rights

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. Foie gras will no longer be legal to farm, sell, or transport within the

United States.

SECTION 2. “Foie gras” shall be defined as a food from the liver of a duck or goose

that has been purposely force-fed and fattened.

SECTION 3. The Food and Drug Administration will oversee the implementation of

this legislation.

SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect one year after passage.

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

Respectfully Submitted

Manchester-Essex Regional High School

A BILL TO ALLOW MEDICARE TO NEGOTIATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: SECTION 1. Medicare shall henceforth be empowered to negotiate with pharmaceutical

companies for lower prices on prescription drugs. SECTION 2. “Pharmaceutical companies” shall refer to any manufacturer or distributor from

whom Medicare patients ultimately receive medication. SECTION 3. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shall establish the Medicare

Drug Price Negotiation Board. A. This board shall oversee the negotiation of drug prices for Medicare

recipients with the drug companies that participate in selling drugs to recipients.

B. This board shall use the purchasing power of Medicare, in order to receive the best and lowest price possible for Medicare recipients.

C. The 11 members of this board shall be appointed by the President of the

United States of America, without the consent of the United States Congress.

D. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services shall be appropriated an additional $30 million to establish the board and to initiate the drug negotiation process.

SECTION 4. This law shall go into effect on January 1st, 2016. SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for Congressional Debate by Justin Westbrook-Lowery, Xavier High School.

A Bill to Implement a Base Salary System to Combat Poverty

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. All documented citizens of the United States, regardless of income or 2

employment status, will receive a salary from the federal government. 3

SECTION 2. A. All recipients of said income must be living in within the territory of the 4

United States seven months out of the year to qualify. 5

B. Citizens will receive a government-distributed salary of $14,000 a year. 6

SECTION 3. Funding for the Base Salary Program will be attained through the 7

discontinuation of Social Security, the Temporary Assistance for Needy 8

Families program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 9

(SNAP), as well as all forms of unemployment benefits or insurance. All 10

government-employed workers in said programs will instead be 11

employed in the Base Salary Program. 12

SECTION 4. The first Base Salary checks will be distributed by November 15th, 2015 13

and will continue to be distributed every year as such. 14

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared void and null. 15

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Introduced for legislative debate by Raviv S. Sarch, of The Bronx High School of Science17

A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Enact Supreme Court Justice Term Limits

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 2 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following article 3 is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 4 which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution 5 when ratified by the legislature of three-fourths of the several states 6 within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress: 7 Article: 3, Section 1: Federal courts, Tenure 8 SECTION 1: The clause “good behavior,” will remain in the article, but the term limits 9 for Supreme Court Justices will be changed from “remainder” of their lives to 10 “fifteen years.” 11 SECTION 2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 12 legislation.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Makayla Esplin

Submitted by Sky View High School, Utah

A Bill to Make Higher Education Institutions Meritorious


SECTION 1. Any university or college receiving federal funding shall ban any non-meritocratic

preference or recognition in evaluating applications.

SECTION 2. Non-meritocratic preference and recognition shall be defined by:

A) Any recognition of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, or gender

B) Any recognition of an applicant’s familial relationship with any alumni, also

known as legacy preference.

C) Any recognition of an applicant’s ability to pay the cost of attendance;

universities and colleges adhering to this legislation must abide by need-blind

admissions procedures.

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

A) Any federally funded college or university that complies with Section 1 will

receive a 15% increase in federal funds.

B) Any colleges or universities whose credit rating has been downgraded over

the previous 5 years may recognize an applicant’s ability to pay for that year

and are exempt from Section 2C.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take effect on January 1, 2017.


Introduced for Congressional Debate,

Senator Aman Jha

Needham High School

A Resolution to Revive Peace Mission in Afghanistan to Promote General Welfare

WHEREAS, The conflict in Afghanistan has far from subsided since the United States’

entrance into the region; and

WHEREAS, the Taliban still has a sizable presence in much of the region;

WHEREAS, and terrorist threats inside and surrounding the country cause concern

for the United States and her allies; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled increase the United States’ presence

into Afghanistan via deploying 50,000 troops for the purpose of

maintaining peace

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the United States encourage the turn over of combat

operations in Afghanistan, from the Afghans to the United States Army

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Steven Kilcommons of Monsignor Farrell High School

A Bill To Increase Developmental and Infrastructural Aid to Sahel Nations


SECTION 1. $75 billion will be allocated yearly for infrastructural and developmental

aid for Sahel Nations in Africa.

SECTION 2. Sahel Nations shall be defined as any nation in the Sahel Region of Africa.

This includes Gambia, Central Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger,

Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad.

Developmental and infrastructural aid shall be defined as any sum of

money allocated by the U.S. government used specifically to help the

above mentioned nations further develop their physical infrastructure.

Physical Infrastructure shall be defined as infrastructure for

transportation, water, weather, sewage, housing, and electric systems.

SECTION 3. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shall be

in charge of overseeing and distributing this funding.

A. The money will be given directly to Private Military Contractors (PMCs)

for USAID

SECTION 4. This bill will go into effect 60 days after implementation.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Usama Bhatti, Iona Preparatory School

SECONDARY DOCKET

A Bill to Outfit Police Officers with Body-Cameras


SECTION 1. The federal government shall incentivize law enforcement agencies to

outfit their officers with body-camera technology.

SECTION 2. “Law enforcement agencies” (LEOs) shall be defined as all state & local

agencies with police power.

SECTION 3. The President Shall appoint, with the consent of the Senate, five

members to a Commission on Law Enforcement Modernization (CLEM).

E. CLEM shall oversee the disbursement of funds to state and local law

enforcement organizations for the purchase and installation of body

cameras for their officers. The Commission shall be funded at a rate

of $200 million per year over the next 10 years, with any unused

money rolling over into the next year.

F. The funds shall be used to match spending by LEOs on body cameras

and any costs associated with their acquisition.

G. Beginning 5 years after the enactment of this bill, any LEO that is

deemed by CLEM not to be in the process of outfitting eligible officers

with body cameras shall be subject to a reduction in the total value of

any extant or scheduled federal subsidies by up to 50%. This includes,

but is not limited to, the possible repossession of any equipment that

has been bestowed by the federal government to said LEOs.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall go into effect on January 1, 2016.


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Joseph Rovito, Xavier High School.

A BILL TO REPEAL CAFTA-DR

BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement,

otherwise known as CAFTA-DR, shall hereby be abolished.

SECTION 2. CAFTA-DR shall be defined as the multilateral free trade agreement

observed by the United States, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El

Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

SECTION 3. The United States Department of the Treasury shall oversee the

enforcement of this bill.

SECTION 4. This bill shall take effect as of January 1, 2020.


Respectfully submitted, Rep. Vincent Gangemi Monsignor Farrell High School

A Bill to Enfranchise Prisoners


SECTION 1. American citizens who are or have been incarcerated in a state or federal 2

prison within the U.S. will have the right to vote in federal elections. 3

SECTION 2. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Election Assistance Commission 4

shall oversee the implementation of this bill. 5

SECTION 3. This bill shall go into effect two years after passage. 6

SECTION 4. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.7

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Senator Zack Even from Manchester Essex School.

A Bill to Create a Separate Currency for the Energy Market


SECTION 1. The energy market will use a universal currency for both buying and 2

selling. 3

SECTION 2. Universal currency will be defined as a form of a monetary system that 4

will be used globally. 5

SECTION 3. The United Nations will begin the printing of this currency. 6

SECTION 4. This currency will be regulated using a similar policy to the Federal 7

Reserve’s bond buying program. 8

SECTION 5. Countries will have to buy the currency directly from the United Nations 9

in order to participate in the energy market. 10

SECTION 6. Any country that refuses to buy into this system will not be able to trade 11

with member countries. 12

SECTION 5. This bill will be implemented immediately with a three-year period to buy 13

energy currency. 14

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.15

Introduced for Congressional Debate by John Nesh of The Iona Preparatory School

Resolution Amending the Constitution to

Repeal the 17th Amendment

1 WHEREAS, The 17th Amendment has changed the purpose of the Senate from

2 representing the States’ interests, and

3 WHEREAS, The Ideas of the Connecticut Compromise are subverted by the 17th

4 Amendment, and

5 WHEREAS, The results of the 17th Amendment are Senators beings pawns of big

6 business rather than of the people as intended, and

7 WHEREAS, The founders’ concept of federalism is destroyed in the 17th Amendment

8 and States rights are subverted, and

9 WHEREAS, The United States of America was founded primarily on the concept of

10 Federal Republicanism rather than pure Democratic principles, therefore

11 be it,

12 RESOLVED, That upon approval of two-thirds of the chamber of this Student Congress

13 here assembled, the following Constitutional amendment be sent to the

14 state legislatures for approval:

15 SECTION 1: 17th Amendment is hereby repealed.

16 SECTION 2: The manner for election of United States Senators shall be

17 by nomination by individual State Governors and subject to

18 the Consent to of the State Legislatures thereof.

19 SECTION 3: If no Senator is selected by the first day of January or the

20 date that congress may by law appoint, the Nominee that

21 receives the most votes in their respective Legislator shall

22 be appointed as Senator until one is consented to by the

23 State thereof.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Makayla Esplin

Submitted by Sky View High School, Utah

Remainder Docket

A BILL TO ABOLISH THE MINIMUM WAGE

BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The nationwide minimum wage level shall hereby be abolished.

SECTION 2. A. Minimum wage shall be defined as lowest hourly number, daily or

monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers as

stated by the federal government.

B. The state governments shall neither be required to nor prohibited

from lowering their minimum wage.

SECTION 3. The United States Department of Labor shall make the necessary

adjustments to carry out this legislation.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take effect immediately upon passage.


Respectfully submitted, Rep. Sedanomi Agosa Monsignor Farrell High School

A Resolution to Abolish the Use of Crude Oil for any Economic or Transportational means

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WHEREAS, Global use of crude oil is growing exponentially from a finite source of oil wells; and

WHEREAS, Even with new technologies to secure more crude oil, wells running dry is only inevitable; and

WHEREAS, The United States consumes the most amount of crude oil in the world; and

WHEREAS, We are almost to the brink of non-reversible Global Warming; and

WHEREAS, Global Warming threatens the lives of not just humans, but also most forms of life; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled ban the use of Crude Oil, or any refined form of it, used to bolster economic prosperity for any individual or organization, or for any transportation means for any person inside any land under the jurisdiction of the United States Federal Government by 2045.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Congressman Jarod Wilson, Sky View High School.

A Resolution to Further Support the Trans-Pacific Partnership

WHEREAS, Weak intellectual property laws, tariffs, and other protectionist measures 1

in Asia are hurting American multinational companies 2

WHEREAS, The WTO has taken no steps to rectify this problem 3

WHEREAS, American businesses lose billions of dollars as a result of these 4

protectionist measures 5

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation 6

to further support the creation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership 7

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sen. Ioana Solomon, Stuyvesant High School.

A Resolution to Change Our Strategy to Combat ISIS

WHEREAS, Our current strategy to combat ISIS has failed 1

WHEREAS, Our failed strategy has enabled ISIS to rapidly expand and ruin the lives of 2

thousands of innocent civilians 3

WHEREAS, ISIS will continue to expand unless we take effective action 4

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation 5

to end all airstrikes designed to combat ISIS 6

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the United States shall focus on collaborating with the Iraqi 7

Armed Forces and with the Free Syrian Army instead8

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sen. Dennis Nenov, Stuyvesant High School.

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