Mustang Madness Congress Legislation 2016

Session 1:

A bill to return overtime pay to American Workers

A bill to fund the Mars direct plan to begin the exploration of Mars

A bill to fund the mining of asteroids

A bill to halt civil asset forfeiture Abuse

Session 2:

A bill to protect assault victims in the military

A bill to send ground troops to Ukraine

A resolution to amend the constitution to regulate campaign finance

A resolution to ban plastic bags

Session 3:

A resolution to cease taxing the income of United States citizens under the Age of 18

A resolution to enforce taxation on churches

A resolution to fund the arts

A resolution to remove past presidents from all US currency

Final Session:

A bill to declare war on ISIL

A resolution on solar roadways

A resolution to amend the constitution to establish equal gender rights

A resolution to demilitarize the police

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A Bill to Return Overtime Pay to American Workers

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The 2004 Amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act covering the definition of exempt employee and overtime pay is repealed.

SECTION 2. Only those employees and positions considered exempt prior to 2004 shall continue to be exempt from overtime regulations.

SECTION 3. The Department of Labor shall be responsible for enforcement of this legislation.

SECTION 4. This shall take effect six months after passage.

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

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A Bill to Fund the Mars Direct Plan to Begin the Exploration of Mars

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. $50 billion over 12 years will be appropriated to fund the Mars Direct plan.

SECTION 2. The Mars Direct Plan is defined as a mars exploration plan using 2 direct launches from Earth to send first, an Earth return vehicle powered by propellant produced from Carbon Dioxide in the Martian atmosphere and later, a crew habitat and crew. The plan is considered to be he plan of the same name described in the book The Case for Mars, by Robert Zurbin, and on the website and attached report of the Mars Society.

SECTION 3. This funding will be added to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s budget, and will be used it to ramp up their existing efforts.

A. This funding is guaranteed for the 12 year period, and must not be cut off unless in case of grievous and intentional misuse.

B. The first mission is loosely targeted for 2024, not including first a single test lunar mission and Martian sample return mission using the same technology, after which in phase 2 $7 billion dollars a year would be used to continue the program.

C. The mission will be launched with NASA’s 2nd generation Space launch system, and funding from the bill many be appropriated towards the system and used to 19 fast track its development. Funding may also go towards the space science division for the sample return mission.

D. Technologies not necessary to the program may not receive funding from this 22 bill, and all funding will be cut from that technology if the Government accounting office finds that funds have been sent elsewhere.

SECTION 4. The funding will start immediately and will decrease to phase 2 levels after the first successful mission has been flown.

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for Congressional Debate by the Yellow Rose District

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A Bill to Fund the Mining of Asteroids

SECTION 1. The United States shall fund the research and development of technology for the mining of asteroids.

SECTION 2. “Research and development” is defined as anything necessary to enhance our knowledge or equipment for this operation to proceed.

“Mining” is defined as the extraction and exploitation of minerals and other geological resources.

“Asteroids” is defined as minor planets in the Inner Solar System.

SECTION 3. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall oversee the implementation of this bill.

a. $50 billion shall be diverted from the Department of Defense to NASA to implement this bill.

SECTION 4. This shall be effective upon the beginning of fiscal year 2017.

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

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A Bill to Halt Civil Asset Forfeiture Abuse

BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

Section 1: The United States Code, Chapter 18, Section 981, shall be revised and amended to

require that any and all applications of Civil Asset Forfeiture by any Government entity

within the United States shall heretofore be subject to the legal criterion for lawful search

and seizure established by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Section 2: “Civil Asset Forfeiture” is defined as seizure by law enforcement or Government officials

of property they assert to be involved in criminal activity, regardless of the possessor’s

perceived guilt or innocence of a crime, absent charge, probable cause, and/or warrant;

the Constitutional Fourth Amendment mandate for legal seizure is subverted by charging

the property itself with a crime.

Section 3: The Department of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General will be jointly

responsible for the implementation and enforcement of this legislation.

Section 4: This law shall take effect immediately upon passage.

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

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A Bill to Protect Assault Victims in the Military

BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

Section 1: This Congress shall suspend the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Chain of

Command in cases of alleged sexual assault of and by active members of the United

States Armed Forces and allow alleged victims to report these crimes to civilian

authorities.

Section 2: When any active member of the United States Armed Forces is accused of committing,

charged with committing, commits, or attempts to commit a sexual assault crime upon a

fellow active Serviceperson, he or she shall be subject the jurisdiction of the civilian

prosecutorial authority of the locale in which the crime was allegedly committed; in cases

where the alleged crime occurred off of U.S. soil, the jurisdiction shall reside with the

civilian prosecutorial authority where the defendant’s primary base is located. The Armed

Forces may only assert prosecutorial jurisdiction if the local prosecutorial authority

declines to prosecute.

Section 3: The Department of Defense and the Department of Justice shall jointly oversee the

enforcement of this legislation.

Section 4: This law shall take effect within one (1) calendar year of passage.

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

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A Bill to Send Ground Troops to the Ukraine

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The President shall authorize the deployment of United States ground troops to the

Ukraine to assist Ukrainian forces in defeating the Russian rebel forces and protecting

Ukrainian borders. These troops will be in addition to the military equipment authorized

in H.R. 5315.

SECTION 2. Defeat is defined as to win a victory over something or someone in war or contest.

Ground Troops are defined as troops who fight on the ground, as opposed to sea or air.

Rebels are defined as armed resistance to a government or ruler.

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense shall oversee the enforcement of this bill along with the

United States Army.

A. The deployment shall consist of one US Infantry Brigade, one US Army Special

Forces Battalion, one Civil Affairs Battalion, and the associated support troops to

provide logistical and maintenance assistance.

B. $30 billion shall be appropriated from the Department of Defense budget to fund the

deployment.

SECTION 4. The troops shall be deployed upon passage of this legislation.

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

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A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Regulate Campaign Finance

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled, that the following article is proposed as an amendment

to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as

part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several

states within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:

ARTICLE --

SECTION 1: Neither the First Amendment nor any other provision of this Constitution shall be

construed to prohibit the Congress or any state from imposing reasonable limits on the amount of money

candidates for public office, or their supporters, may spend in election campaigns.

SECTION 2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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A Resolution to Ban Plastic Bags

WHEREAS, The United States EPA reported that between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year; and

WHEREAS, Millions of these bags end up in litter outside of landfills, including in the ocean. The plastic poisons the water and soil, and the bags kill wildlife; and

WHEREAS, Governments spend billions cleaning up littered plastic bags. California alone estimates that the cost to their state is $75 million a year to remove plastic bags as litter each year; and

WHEREAS, Almost all of the bags that don’t become litter end up in landfills; and

WHEREAS, Many countries (both developed and undeveloped) have already banned the use of plastic bags; and

WHEREAS, Plastic bags are very valuable on the recycling market, but few people use recycling programs available at many retail stores, and fewer than 20% of bags 13 are recycled; and

WHEREAS, America’s largest residential recycler (Waste Management) does not process or sell plastic bags, and the millions of bags delivered to their processing centers end up in landfills; and

WHEREAS, Plastic bags are made with a variety of harmful chemicals, including lead; and

WHEREAS, Humans have survived thousands of years without plastic bags. There are 19 alternatives; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled ban plastic bags for retail use in the United 21 States.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by the Pittsburgh District

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A Resolution to Cease Taxing the Income of United States Citizens under the Age of 18 Years Old

1 WHEREAS, United States citizens under the age of 18 are unable to vote according to

2 the 26th Amendment to the Constitution as ratified in 1971; and

3 WHEREAS, Citizens under 18 years of age pay nearly 13% of their income to Social

4 Security, Medicare, Federal Income, and State Income taxes which cannot

5 be reclaimed; and

6 WHEREAS, These citizens cannot vote for local, State or Federal government officials

7 to represent them; and

8 WHEREAS, The United States of America was founded partially upon the ideal of

9 no taxation without proper consent and representation as stated in the

10 Declaration of Independence; now, therefore, be it

11 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that United States Citizens under the

12 age of 18 years old with proof of birth and residency are exempt from all

13 taxes on their income including Social Security, Medicare, Federal

14 Income, and State Income taxes.

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A Resolution to Enforce Taxation on Churches

1 WHEREAS, Churches that file as religious organizations are exempted from all taxes; and

2 WHEREAS, Churches own $300-$500 billion in untaxed property that costs state and federal

3 governments millions each; and

4 WHEREAS, The Constitution sets a clear precedent for separation of church and state and no

5 guidelines for what qualifies as a religion; now, therefore, be it

6 RESOLVED, By the Congress assembled here that all churches and “religious organizations”

7 shall be taxed according to the property that they own.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by the South Kansas District

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A Resolution to Fund the Arts

1. WHEREAS, multiple studies have concluded that curricular and extracurricular

2. art studies and activities help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school; and

3. WHEREAS, Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for

4. academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school 5.attendance; and

6. WHEREAS, Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that

7. rank consistently among the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, 8. Hungary, and the Netherlands; and

9. WHEREAS, Federal funding for the arts and humanities rolls in around $250

10. million a year, while the National Science

11. Foundation was funded around the $7 billion in 2012; now, therefore, be it

12.RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled should increase the amount of

13. federal spending towards arts education in the United States.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by the Nebraska District

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A Resolution to Remove Past Presidents from all US Currency

1. WHEREAS American currency currently features the faces of past presidents,

2. WHEREAS When America was created, coins featured the faces of kings, queens, and emperors,

3. WHEREAS The Founding Fathers didn’t want to put their faces on currency, and objected to the

idea,

4. WHEREAS They viewed themselves as normal men, not to be idolized,

5. WHEREAS The first piece of currency to feature a dead president was the Lincoln penny in

1909, 133 years after the founding of America,

6. WHEREAS Originally, currency featured the embodiments of liberty and freedom, Lady Liberty

and the Bald Eagle.

7. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS STUDENT CONGRESS that all past presidents be

removed from future iterations of US currency, replacing them with symbols of American ideals

or accomplishments.

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A Bill to Declare War on ISIL

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States of America shall declare war on the organization referring to

3 itself as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

4 SECTION 2. This declaration of war authorizes the President of the United States, in his role

5 as Commander in Chief of United States military forces, to engage in offensive

6 and defensive military operations against ISIL.

7 SECTION 3. Pursuant to this declaration of war this Congress shall provide funding necessary

8 to carry out missions against ISIL. Funding for the war against ISIL shall be

9 reviewed each year by this Congress.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by the South Texas District

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A Resolution on Solar Roadways

1 WHEREAS, Continual issues with global climate change has prompted research and

2 inventions into alternative energy; and

3 WHEREAS, Many alternatives have been widely rejected for reasons like higher cost

4 comparisons, effectiveness, efficiency, etc.; and

5 WHEREAS, Solar Roadways is a business that has successfully created solar panels

6 that can be placed and become sidewalks, parking lots, and actual roads; and

7 WHEREAS, These plates can provide renewable energy to be used in homes and businesses;

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9 WHEREAS, The plates have also shown uses beyond that of just soar energy; and

10 WHEREAS, The Federal government funded Phase l of the project and a portion of Phase ll;

11 now, therefore, be it

12 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the Federal government should fully fund

13 the rest of the Solar Roadways project.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by the Nebraska South District

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A Resolution to Amend the Constitution Establish Equal Gender Rights

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

2. RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following

3. article is proposed as an amendment to the COnstitution of the United

4. States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the

5. Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the

6. several states within seven years from the date of its submission by

7. the Congress:

8. ARTICLE --

9. SECTION 1: No person in the United States shall be denied any legal rights by the

10. United States or by any state on the basis of sex, gender identity, or

11. sexual orientation.

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13. SECTION 2: The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by

14. appropriate legislation.

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16. SECTION 3: This amendment shall take effect two years from its ratification.

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A Resolution to Demilitarize Police

1 Whereas, American police forces have become radically militarized over the last twenty

years; and

2 Whereas, military forces incite violence and do not protect citizens; and

3 Whereas, Swat teams and military training make police forces more likely to use excessive

force and contribute to culture of aggression; and

5 Whereas, the United States has more deaths caused by police officers than any other wealth

nation; and

7 Whereas, African Americans are the most likely to be killed by police; and

8 Whereas, Community policing has been proven to be the best and most effective way to

build trust increase public safety.

10 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Student Congress assembled that; the United States

Federal

11 Government should demilitarize America’s police forces and transition law

12 enforcement to community based policing where approximately half of all police

13 officers would patrol unarmed.

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A Bill to Divert Funding for Bio Fuel to Development of Nuclear Energy

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3 SECTION 1. The funding for biofuel should be diverted to development of nuclear energy

4 SECTION 2. The US should cut off funding for creating biofuels and use that funding to build new

5 nuclear reactor energy plants to provide more energy at lower energy costs

6 SECTION 3. The NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and the Department Energy would 7 7 oversee the building of the new nuclear power plants.

9 SECTION 4. If this bill is passed, the implementation date would be immediately

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

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