harvard national congress bill packet

! !

Revision !

Posted: Thursday, February 6, 2014 – 11 a.m. CST Revision: Chamber Assignments*, Rule Change

* A handful of students were moved to accommodate authorship changes or drops/adds this morning.

!Rule Change: !

After considerable feedback, we have retracted the rule that would limit debate at one hour per bill or resolution. Debate will proceed as normal per National Speech and Debate Association (NFL) rules.

!A note of apology:

!Dear Congress Community: !The initial packet posted five hours ago had incorrect chamber assignments, because of a spreadsheet sorting error. I have been having computer issues, on top of my father being released from the hospital last week, only to be readmitted this week. I understand that is no excuse for an error of this magnitude; I just appreciate whatever grace and understanding you can extend in this difficult time. Please accept my apology. !Most warmly, Adam Jacobi Tournament Administrator, Harvard National Congress

! February 15-17, 2014 !

Participant/Judge Information Packet !Revision: Thursday, February 6, 2014 – 11 a.m. CST !

All contestants and judges must read this packet. !!! Coaches/Sponsors: !1. Please confirm your school’s entry is accurate: all entries should be assigned to a chamber, and

legislation submitted should be in the legislative docket for the same chamber as its author." Email problems, questions or concerns to: [email protected].

2. Chamber lists are arranged alphabetically, by last name, and each school has been assigned a numerical code. All contestants must know their school’s code, so that ballots can be recorded properly and picked up at the end of the tournament.

3. Please distribute this packet to each student and judge. No printed copies will be available. 4. An update (including final schedule and late breaking changes) will be posted on the tournament

website during the week of the tournament. 5. Any CHANGES to contestants and judges must be:

a. Entered on # the Joy of Tournaments website AND b. Emailed to " [email protected].

Those who comply will be penalized $30 less per entry on drop fees. 6. Please make sure your judges are trained: see www.congressionaldebate.org/tutorials/judging-standards

All judges should read requirements for serving as a parliamentarian, and be ready to do so if asked. 7. At the end of the tournament, evaluation sheets (ballots) must be picked up in person; they will not be

scanned or mailed.

Twitter $ @CongressDebate

% Judge Information & Expectations !!

! Judge assignments will be posted in the e-registration section of www.joyoftournaments.com/ma/harvard by Wednesday, February 12.

PLEASE alert us to any judge changes ASAP! !!This year, due to logistical challenges, there will not be a judge meeting. Therefore, it is critical that coaches retrieve judge assignments from the e-registration page and share these with their judge(s). !Judge assignment sheets will include which rooms judges should report to, for each preliminary round. Judges should report to the respective rooms by 8:00 a.m., so tournament staff can make replacements as needed. All materials will be in each room. !For quarterfinals, judge assignments will be posted online by 7 a.m. Sunday (tweeted @CongressDebate $), along with student chamber assignments. !We ask that all judges review instructional materials on judging at www.congressionaldebate.org. Bjonda !!

& Schedule Please note venue locations in italics. !! Please check for the final schedule online, Feb. 12. !

Friday, February 14 8:00 pm -10:00 pm ' Registration- Hilles-Harvard Campus. It is not necessary to come to in person

if you participate in e-registration. No new Congress information will be released. ! ( Coaches must check the e-registration section of the tournament website for

judge assignments, and distribute these to their judges, accordingly. !!Saturday, February 15 ' Lesley University’s Porter Square Campus & Harvard Campus 8:00 am ) Judges report to assigned chamber or standby room (there is no centralized

meeting this year). There is NO student meeting; contestants report directly to their building and chamber room. !

8:10 am * Preliminary business: roll call & legislation caucus in chambers 8:30 am - 11:30 am + Session 1 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm + Session 2 5:15 pm - 8:15 pm + Session 3

10:30 pm # Breaks tweeted @CongressDebate $ !Sunday, February 16 ' All chambers on the Harvard Campus 7:00 am # Quarterfinal chamber assignments tweeted @CongressDebate $ 7:00 am # Quarterfinal judge assignments tweeted @CongressDebate $ 9:00 am - 12:15 pm + Quarterfinal Session (Harvard Campus) 2:30 pm , Assembly: prelim leadership awards & semifinal qualifiers announced. MANDATORY FOR ALL CONTESTANTS, Science Center, Auditorium B 2:30 pm ) Semifinal Judge Pooling Meeting, Harvard Hall 102. 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm + Semifinal Session (Harvard Campus) 8:00 pm , Assembly: quarter/semifinal leadership awards & finalists announced.

Quarterfinalists and Semifinalists should attend, Science Center, Auditorium B !

Monday, February 17 Harvard Campus 8:10 am ) Final Session Judge Pooling Meeting, Harvard Hall 102 8:30 am - 1:00 pm + Final Session begins with Crisis Scenario, Harvard Hall 104 3:30 pm - Congressional Debate & Speech Awards Ceremony, Sanders Theatre !( Evaluation sheets (ballots) must be picked up in person after awards; they will not be scanned.

!. Tab Room Saturday: Lesley University 3-083 Sunday/Monday: Harvard Hall 102

Jefferson

/ Venues !' Lesley University (some chambers, Saturday only): take the T (subway) to Porter Square, one stop further outbound from Harvard Square. As you exit the T station, walk left on Massachusetts Ave., and walk ½ block to the entrance to University Hall (pictured above). There’s a mini shopping mall on the first floor.!0 Saturday Driving/Parking at Lesley: Take Massachusetts Ave. and turn onto Roseland St. to park behind the University Hall/ shopping mall at that corner (it’s about $20 for the day).

1 Food at Lesley: Use this link, or scan the QR code below for a list of restaurants in Porter Square: http://goo.gl/wHzHz !Do NOT bring food in chambers. See rule 2.c. !' Harvard Campus: (some chambers, Saturday; all chambers, Sunday/Monday): Take the T to Harvard Square. There is a campus map and campus smartphone app you can download for the Harvard campus. 0/1 Parking/Food at Harvard: Visit the Harvard Square website (see “maps” and “Restaurants”):http://goo.gl/bu9j7s !Do NOT bring food in chambers. See rule 2.c. !1 Judge Food: For coaches/judges (when not judging), there will be complimentary breakfast/lunch at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Saturday, there will be light refreshments for judges, and there is a coffee shop on the ground floor of Lesley’s University Hall. There are plenty of common spaces at Lesley for judges to relax, work quietly, or visit with other judges. !!

Lesley Univ.

Harvard Sq. T Stop

Porter Sq. T Stop

Cambridge Rindge & La?n Sch.

Science Center

Sanders Theatre

Harvard Hall

2 Tournament Rules

1. 3 Rules provided herein are primary; followed by National Forensic League rules. These ensure procedural consistency among chambers, and cannot be altered or suspended. Where these rules are silent, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, 11th edition shall prevail.

2. / Competition Spaces: chambers violating these rules will not advance students to the next competition level (new in 2014). a. Do not write on whiteboards/chalkboards. An agenda report is given to each chamber for writing

agenda order, and voting record. PO candidates should clearly say and spell their names aloud. b. Do not move furniture. Seating charts are customized to eat room’s design. Please throw away trash. c. Do not unplug anything. This is a Harvard tournament-wide rule that must be adhered to. d. Do not bring food into chambers, except water. Please eat in common areas/cafeterias.

3. * Decorum: Each preliminary and quarterfinal chamber is designated as a house; members are referred to as “Representatives.” Semifinal and final chambers are senates; members are referred to as “Senators.” At the start of each session the PO shall lead the chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance. “Open chambers” are prohibited.

4. 4 Technology: National Forensic League rules allow for laptop computers (inclusive of tablets/iPads) in debate events (see www.congressionaldebate.org/technology). Judges will monitor students and may elect to penalize students using laptops for non-Congress related business in chambers by choosing not to rank them, as well as deduct points. Cell phones or other devices that are networked are not allowed while a chamber is in session. Use of any device is subject to judge evaluation; serious infractions will be reported to the tab room.

5. 5 Presiding Officer (PO): POs are elected for each three-hour session by a single-ballot, majority vote, and may only be considered for one preliminary session unless no one else wishes to serve. The elected PO may choose to relinquish the chair once during debate to give a single speech (new in 2014). S/he must select from among other students who were candidates for election that session. Those students have the option of declining, and once no candidates remain, the PO may select another student. If no one wishes to replace the elected PO, s/he may not step down. A replacement PO must serve for the remainder of debate on the particular bill or resolution to which the elected PO speaks. Once debate has ended, and the replacement PO has called a vote on the legislation, the elected PO relieves the replacement PO, and serves out the rest of his/her term. When this happens, the PO may only receive up to half credit in presiding points, but her/his speech will be evaluated as well. A substitute PO is not eligible for points or evaluation by the judges.

6. 6 Agenda and Sessions: Each chamber sets its own agenda through informal caucus. The agenda must receive approval by a simple majority vote of the chamber. Debate on legislation may not continue from one session to the next (i.e. Sessions 2 and 3 must start with new legislation not previously debated in that chamber). If the author of a bill or resolution – or his/her teammate – is not present in the chamber, withdraws from the tournament, or relinquishes authorship rights, then a sponsorship speech is in order. This right does not apply to “twin chamber” legislation if legislation from that same school has already been debated in that chamber. The final session ends at the posted start time, or once all students have had the opportunity to speak twice; however, students are not guaranteed two speeches.

7. + Floor Speeches: Precedence and recency is the required method for recognizing speakers. Speaking order resets at the end of each session. Presiding officers are prohibited from using “activity” or “longest standing/standing time” prior to establishing precedence and recency; rather, they should select speakers fairly and consistently. All speeches are three minutes; unused speaking time is not rolled into questioning periods.

8. 7 Questioning: a. After authorship/sponsorship, and first negative speeches on each legislation is a two-minute period. b. All other speeches are followed by a one-minute questioning period. c. Quarterfinals, semis, and finals use direct questioning (www.congressionaldebate.org/directquestioning) d. The PO recognizes legislators who wish to ask a question; not the floor speaker. e. Rules may not be suspended to create permanent questioning periods or to abolish questioning periods. f. The PO should rule “two-part,” misleading, prefaced, or irrelevant questions out of order. !

9. 8 Penalties

a. Authorship: A scorer may reduce points given to the author of a bill/resolution for his/her authorship speech if the legislation contains factual/grammatical errors (no penalty for incorrect formatting).

b. Over Time: Any regular floor speech that extends more than ten (10) seconds beyond the maximum speaking time of three minutes shall be penalized one (1) full point by the scorer(s). The PO is required to keep the accurate time of each speech and report it to the scorer(s) when the speaker has finished. Judges shall penalize a PO for inaccurate timing and/or reporting. Additionally, judges are instructed to consider overtime speaking in their assessment of legislators for nomination/ranking purposes.

c. Wrong Side Speech: A speaker recognized for a speech in the affirmative but delivers a speech in negation (or vice versa) should be ruled out of order by the PO after confirming with the parliamentarian. The speech shall count for purposes of recency, but receives zero points from the scorer.

10. 9 Voting: The PO determines method of voting on each question before the chamber. Notes on voting: a. Final votes on legislation, amendments, and motions to appeal the chair require a recorded vote. b. Voice voting is acceptable for all other votes, but a recorded vote must be taken if any legislator calls for

a division of the chamber. c. Roll call votes are prohibited. d. All simple majority votes are based upon the number of legislators present and voting in the chamber;

therefore, the PO does not need to call for or count abstentions. e. 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 at the time of the vote. Because of this system, the PO must track the number of legislators in the chamber at all times.

11. : Amendment Process:

a. Legislators submit amendments to the PO in writing, by moving personal privilege to approach the PO.

b. A motion to amend is necessary to consider the written amendment; such a motion is in order anytime after the author/sponsor speech. 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 deemed to be not germane, the chair rules it out of order and the amendment process stops. If the chair rules the amendment germane, s/he should read the contents of the amendment to the chamber.

c. A one-third second vote of members present in the chamber is required to debate the amendment. If the chamber votes a second, debate on the amendment commences immediately. Legislators may move to lay on the table or previous question on the amendment at any time.

d. If a speech on the amendment is recognized, the first is a sponsorship speech. The chair determines speaker recognition for the sponsorship speech on the basis of precedence/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.

e. All amendment speeches receive a score and count towards precedence/recency. Those speeches should focus on the amendment itself, and how it affects the original outcome of the legislation. A majority vote is necessary for the chamber to adopt the amendment. If the amendment carries, further debate should consider the legislation as amended. !

Note: Rules 4, 7, 8a, 8b, 8d, 8e, 8f, 10, and 11 are unchanged from NFL rules, but are included because they are often confused with regional/state differences.

- Advancement/Placing !Preliminary Sessions: The parliamentarian and scorers evaluate the PO, awarding up to six points per complete hour presided. In each session, scorers evaluate all floor speeches in writing, and consider performance of the PO along with speakers for holistic ranking of the eight (8) best legislators at the end of the session. A parliamentarian supervises a single chamber for all three sessions. The parliamentarian provides written evaluation of the PO, maintains order when the PO does not, and ensures fairness in rulings. At the end of the parliamentarian’s service in a chamber, s/he provides an overall, holistic ranking of all legislators, and may take factors other than quality of floor speeches (e.g., quantity of speeches, quality of questions and answers, procedural debate, professionalism, decorum, etc.) into consideration. The parliamentarian’s top eight (8) choices are weighted the same as the other three judge ballots in that chamber, and his/her overall ranking provides a final tie-break after cumulative rank total, judge preference, inverse rank reciprocals, drop high/low total, judge preference of adjusted H/L total, and reciprocals of H/L total are factored. An equal number of students advance from each preliminary chamber, for no more than 154 quarterfinalists, all of whom earn a Congressional Debate bid to the Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky.

Quarterfinal Session: There are nine (9) quarterfinal chambers with 14-18 legislators per chamber, which convene for three hours, Sunday morning. Chamber assignments are balanced for school, state, and strength. One student PO serves the entire session. Scorers and a parliamentarian judge each quarterfinal chamber, with the same procedures for advancement as enumerated above, but advancing six (6) students from each chamber to semifinals. The chamber may suspend the rules to allow for direct questioning (see below).

Semifinal Session: There are three (3) semifinal chambers with 18 legislators per chamber, which convene for three hours, Sunday afternoon. Chamber assignments are balanced for school, state, and strength. One student presiding officer serves for the entire session. Scorers and a parliamentarian judge each semifinal chamber, with the same procedures for advancement as enumerated above, but advancing six (6) students from each chamber to finals.

Final Session: The final session convenes Monday morning, with the top 18 legislators in a single chamber, evaluated by one parliamentarian and six scorers. One elected PO serves the entire session. All scorers evaluate each speech in writing. The PO receives written, scored evaluations from all panel judges.

- Awards !( Evaluation sheets (ballots) must be picked up in person after awards; they will not be scanned.

Leadership Award: Inspired by the Leadership Bowl award, presented at the National Forensic League National Tournament to one final session participant in the Senate and in the House, whose cumulative ranking by peers from all sessions exemplifies widely-earned peer respect. The Harvard National Congress also considers cumulative ranking, but awards one winner per chamber following preliminary, quarterfinal, semifinal, and final sessions. !Annual Sweepstakes Award: Up to five contestants per school earn 5 points each for prelims, toward sweepstakes. Additionally, bonus points are awarded for presiding (2 points per presiding officer, up to 5), each semi-finalist (15 points each; maximum of 5), each finalist (additional 20 points each; maximum of 5), and each top 6 finisher (additional 15 points for champion, 10 points for 2nd/3rd place, 5 points for 4th/5th/6th). Note: Independent entries are NOT eligible for sweepstakes. A New School Award is presented to the delegation that earns the most sweepstakes points from among all schools participating in their first Harvard National Congress. !Cumulative Sweepstakes: A school’s annual sweepstakes points are added to its cumulative total to determine its standings. The traveling HNC Cup is awarded to the current year’s honoree, with a permanent plaque named in honor of HNC founder Brent Pesola, presented the following year, when the school returns the cup to be awarded to the next honoree. When a school wins, its cumulative total is reset to zero. !

; History !The Harvard National Congress was founded in 1995 by Brent Pesola at the behest of Ashley Keller, one of his students at University School of Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. At the time, Congress was limited to local/in-state tournaments, and the only national Congress tournaments were offered by the National Forensic League and NCFL. Later, other large tournaments began to offer Congress, and in 2002, Brent Pesola and inaugural HNC champion Jason Wysong (then, coach at Cypress Creek HS) co-founded the Congress Tournament of Champions, which ran for three years in Fort Lauderdale, before being absorbed within the Tournament of Champions (TOC) at the University of Kentucky. The HNC has always distinguished itself for its emphasis on decorum, and its rigorous final round crisis scenarios. In 2013, a record number of participants prompted the tournament to offer something never done before at a Congressional Debate tournament: a quarterfinals round.!- Past Award Winners !

!Past Winners of the HNC Cup: 1997: North Miami Beach High School (FL) 2006: Highland Park High School (IL) 1998: Nova High School (FL) 2007: Gonzaga College High School (DC) 1999: Pennsbury High School (PA) 2008: Adlai Stevenson High School (IL) 2000: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (FL) 2009: Highland Park High School (IL) 2001: Nova High School (FL) 2010: Nova High School (FL) 2002: Christian Brothers Academy (NY) 2011: Adlai Stevenson High School (IL) 2003: Trinity Preparatory School (FL) 2012: Ridge High School (NJ) 2004: Nova High School (FL) 2013: Walt Whitman HS (MD) 2005: Myers Park High School (NC)

Champions Final Session Presiding Officers Leadership Award Winners

1995 Jason Wysong, Miami Killian (FL) Ashley Keller, University School (FL)

1996 Mark Djuranavic, Myers Park (NC) Sean Weiner, Nova (FL)

1997 Ashley Keller, University School (FL) Ashley Keller, University School (FL)

1998 Evan Lederman, Stoneman Douglas (FL) Andrew Baker, Martin County (FL)

1999 Matthew Brennan, Iona Prep (NY) Ryan Caruso, South Plantation (FL)

2000 Ian Amelkin, Stoneman Douglas (FL) Adam Goodman, J.P. Taravella (FL)

2001 Scott Jacobson, Nova (FL) Jon Schwartz, Nova (FL)

2002 Scott Jacobson, Nova (FL) Ben Seymour, Christian Brothers (NY)

2003 Jack Soltysik, Adlai Stevenson (IL) Brad Motzer, Nova (FL)

2004 Matt Turetzky, Nova (FL) Josh Weiss, Lake Brantley (FL)

2005 Matt Cynamon, Nova (FL) Steven Spitzer, Ridge (NJ)

2006 Eva Lam, Rufus King (WI) Christopher Cerrone, Shrewsbury (MA)

2007 Sundeep Iyer, Ridge (NJ) Herschel Patel, Myers Park (NC)

2008 Jordan Stone, Adlai Stevenson (IL) Noreen Kassam, Albuq. Acad. (NM)

2009 Joseph Perretta, Christop. Columbus (FL) Brad Gross, JP Taravella (FL)

2010 Geoffrey Block, Trinity Prep (FL) Joseph Perretta, Chris. Columbus (FL)

2011 Ross Slaughter, Walt Whitman (MD) Priyang Shah, Myers Park (NC)

2012 Matt DeBari, Lake Highland Prep (FL) Bardia Vaseghi, Ridge (NJ) Eric Ramoutar, Adlai Stevenson (IL)

2013 Jeremy Gutner, Cypress Bay (FL) Lauren Katz, Durham Academy (NC) Ananth Cherukupally, Dougherty Valley (CA)

) Legislative Docket & Chamber Roster !The legislative docket for each chamber is noted with the roster of students for each chamber. Each chamber has 5-6 bills/resolutions. Once a chamber completes debate on all items assigned to its docket, it can take up items from its “Twin Chamber” docket. Sister chambers are listed directly across from one another (A-L, B-M, C-N, etc.). House K (like House J) will use House U’s docket; House U will just use House J’s). !< Please double-check room assignments during the week of Feb. 11 !

!For Lesley, the first numeral (before the hyphen) is the floor number. Saturday Tab is Lesley: Univ. 3-083 != 2014 Elimination Round Topic Areas !Contestants who are invited to participate in the quarterfinal and semifinal sessions Sunday morning will debate new sets of legislation (provided by the tournament), based on the following topic areas. All contestants are encouraged to compile research on these topics before coming to the tournament to ensure they get adequate rest during the tournament (we believe in the “Healthy Debater Initiative”). Additionally, full text of quarterfinal and semifinal legislation will be available February 12, at which time the finals topic area will be announced. Finals legislation will be available Sunday, February 16. Three bills each for the quarterfinal and semifinal session will be available, with the one hour time limit of debate per legislation in force. !

Chamber Room Twin Chamber Room

House A Lesley: Univ. 3-087 ↔ House L Lesley: Univ. 4-037

House B Lesley: Univ. 3-089 ↔ House M Lesley: Univ. 4-040

House C Lesley: Univ. 3-097 ↔ House N Lesley: Univ. L-016

House D Lesley: Univ. 3-101 ↔ House O Lesley: Univ. L-023

House E Lesley: Univ. 2-048 ↔ House P Jefferson 250

House F Lesley: Univ. 2-141 ↔ House Q Jefferson 256

House G Lesley: Univ. 2-150 ↔ House R Jefferson 356

House H Lesley: Univ. 4-023 ↔ House S Jefferson 453

House I Lesley: Univ. 4-030 ↔ House T Harvard Hall 104

House J Lesley: Univ. 4-033 ↔ House U Science Center E

House K Lesley: Univ. 4-034 ↔ K will use U’s legislation when it runs out; U will use J only.

Quarterfinal Topic Areas (bills available Feb. 12): Agriculture: Farm Bill Simulation. Imagine the Farm Bill has not been sent to President Obama for approval. Review current news and agriculture policy in the United States.

Semifinal Topic Area (bills available Feb. 12): Health Care Reform: Affordable Care Act and beyond. Several bills to amend the original ACA will be presented for consideration.

2014 Harvard National Congress -‐ Chamber Assignments [Rev. 2/6/14-‐10:45am CST]

First Name Last Name Code ChamberDana Abelson 41 CArwa Adib 86 CSedanami Agosa 60 PHiba Ahmed 79 NManik Akhand 65 GKasha Akrami 63 EFrancesca Alduncin 84 JAymeric Alejo-‐Chaban 14 AMegan-‐Faye Allen 87 OGerardo Alvarez 46 IRobbie Aranoff 41 EMatthew Aronson 79 BLaila Aziem 14 BAndres Balcazar 10 DDhiraj Banda 6 AJohn Barroso 10 PBrendan Bayer 33 ABrianna Beach 78 GJackson Bean 45 BSam Beaver 30 RJason Beggs 1 DJack Belk 98 DAndrew Bempah 32 UDylan Berger 86 FNicole Beros 107 ESiddharth Bhaskara 64 JUsama Bhatti 43 MSarah Bier 87 LTyler Blake 45 RParis Bland 77 DVirginia Blessing 22 DJared Blinderman 75 ABenedict Bolton 99 GJames Bonanno 43 OYannick Bongo 81 GZachary Boogaart 44 TJames Boswell 98 PCaitlin Bourbon-‐Francis 74 ARobert Bradshaw 75 SMax Brautigam 33 BKarl Brillant 75 NTimothy Brisson 43 QChris Brodkey 104 UIsabel Brown 63 FNoah Brown 41 D


First Name Last Name Code ChamberTristan Brown 15 EJoe Brownfield 60 ARobert Bruns 98 KGrace Buie 7 CAndrew Buinauskas 34 KEamonn Burke 96 GBenjamin Burstein 58 PKatherine Butler 57 PJorge Cabrera 10 KDennis Callaghan 76 HPeter campbell 55 DJacob Canel 16 HAlexis Cantor 90 KLindsey Carpenter 38 UMichael Cervino 85 DAlan Chang 75 HAndy Chang 74 CEric Chen 30 SJohn Chen 100 EKai Chen 99 PLiam Cheng 9 JRyan Chepp 75 BSrini Cherukuri 87 PAndres Chinchilla 10 NJoanna Choi 100 UZachariah Chou 4 OJoy Chung 86 IJacob Cimerberg 104 BDaniella Cohen 93 JRachel Collins 88 IBen Connelly 97 JJordan Cotterell 74 FAaron Dagen 104 CAlexandra Daggett 107 FNick Danby 8 AFiona Davis 52 LCameron Deahl 41 GJake Dean 17 UDavid DeFelice 57 TJustin Delinois 56 HPat DeMichele 2 ABrecken Denler 62 TJoseph Depumpo 93 BSarah Dincin 41 FMichael Ding 64 K


First Name Last Name Code ChamberJoseph DiPietro 43 DNicholas Diprima 74 QHuzefa Diwan 86 EJacqueline Doan 81 PMickenzie Donnelly 104 DNasser Douge 75 CDamielle Douglas 37 IJessica Douglass 44 UBrendan Du 87 AAmanda Duese 107 GRodrigo Duluc 14 CSarah Duque 78 IMara Dygert 7 GAnna Eckhoff 34 NKevin Eicken 34 PCharles Erven 55 HJoey Erwin 32 HWilliam Erwin 14 JJennifer Esposito 22 LSimon Essig Aberg 25 KRudgy Estel 75 GJohn Fadool 46 GZalman Faltushanskiy 107 HGreg Fantin 82 CBenjamin Fanucci-‐Kiss 1 SRyan Fedasiuk 25 SFrancesca Ferrante 44 RELlie Fetzner 55 QBlaise Filippini 32 ODennis Fiore 44 QCollin Flemmons 39 QPeter Ford 96 IEdward Frankonis 47 EHunter Frase 77 MPixie Freeman 7 BAndrew Frey 27 IAriel Friedman 102 OAlex Froy 41 HIsabel Gabaldon 4 BJames Gallagher 109 CVincent Gangemi 60 SNic Gerard 90 RHealy Gier 87 QJacob Glaser 2 UAlex Gleyzer 107 I


First Name Last Name Code ChamberSerena Goldberg 2 RCaleb Goldstein 41 LMaximiliano Goldstein 75 JAnnie Gott 33 CJoshua Graham 82 KSergio Gratta 80 SRocco Graziano 60 FAllison Grimsted 32 ITalia Grossman 2 FAman Grover 2 CAbhimanyu Gupta 90 USaagar Ram Gupta 97 BSagar Gupta 97 DPhillip Hadayatnia 40 OCavan Hagerty 8 JSydney Hanan 80 LAdam Hassanein 65 MIan Hennington 51 RJocelyn Hochsztein 74 RBryce Howard 98 LRoss Hozman 41 MMichelle Hu 2 IMichael Hunschofsky 4 LAzhar Hussain 93 HScott Hutchins 30 KJonathan Hutton 75 FPeter Hwang 2 TKarthik Irakam 91 SGrace Isford 22 CYoanna Ivanova 2 LAshika Jalagam 91 UAnvesh Jalasutram 2 NNoella James 2 EDavid Jaslow 86 JGirish Jayant 99 QMegan Johnson 12 ASam Joyce 97 LRiddhi Junnarkar 45 URyan Kabir 81 HChristopher Kacens 18 UBrendan Kaiser 96 OCourtney Kalash 107 JCameron Kalogerakis 75 KKarina Kalpaxis 14 PEmily Kaperst 103 U


First Name Last Name Code ChamberRaina Karia 85 QIsabela Karibjanian 72 TAkshay Karthik 1 TAndy Kaufman 41 NLynda Kelly 37 JJulia Kerr 28 MSamiya Khan 82 LAmir Khawaja 15 FBen Kilano 25 LCatherine (Nayeon) Kim 16 JJimin Kim 20 APatrick Kirkwood 85 HMax Klein 46 RKatherine Kleinle 85 IDaniel Kodsi 99 ULandon Komishane 52 OKatie Koslan 94 TAbhishek Kumar 1 APranav Kumar 61 LRebekkah LaBlue 7 MAlexander LaCorte 44 KJustin Lafazan 100 KLorenzo Lamo 4 PKatie Larkin 1 IJulia Lauer 14 QSangyeol Lee 1 FPippa Leigh 22 RNathaniel Leonhardt 87 BAustin Lesch 103 TAustin Lessin 48 KBenjamin Levy 85 JNoah Levy 78 MJiayi Li 81 JRuth Libowsky 41 OOlivia Limone 110 NJoshua Litchman 69 QStephen Litton 78 AMatthew Long 96 FMonica Lopez 42 TKristen Love 98 NBrady Lu 81 KEsther Lu 65 TMegan Lundin 101 LCole Lusk 9 BJay Lusk 9 N


First Name Last Name Code ChamberDhruv Luthra 2 PJake Mac Duff 30 TKush Mahajani 15 CAkhil Manda 81 LVenkat Mannem 2 BSamuel Marcus 14 SGurion Marks 14 TAbigail Marone 73 CWill Mascaro 40 IFuad Matti 3 RCaitlin McCarthy 34 DTanner McFadden 97 MLiam McGill 13 MStephanie Mellert 22 QJeremiah Menslage 94 PKruti Merchant 87 CAnna Meyer 67 PMuqtada Miandara 81 MMatthew Milakovic 98 MKate Milleker 34 TDavid Millstein 14 MJohn Misey 108 FAtreya Misra 85 ETina Moazezi 2 QDesmond Molloy 33 GMichael Mondo 44 FBrenden Morey 15 GMeredith Morris 95 UKaitlyn Moseley 53 IAlex Mudannayake Farrington 14 ONicolas Munoz 10 SConnor Murphy 85 FRahul Nanchahal 36 HManish Narasimman 80 PDennis Nenov 99 OAnthony Nguyen 82 AAmy Nichols 70 QErik Nielsen 11 BAlec Niketas 81 NCory Novick 41 QAndriy Novykov 75 MDaniel Nussbaum 41 BP.J. Nyland 29 MAlexandra O'Brien 77 OChloe O'Sullivan 98 T


First Name Last Name Code ChamberCarlos Ochoa 15 JMichael Onyszczak 107 RSantiago Orozco 104 EManuel Osaba 104 HAlaina Owen 26 DTeja Pallikonda 1 BMaria Palomares 94 NEun Park 75 LMoojin Park 75 QSuchritha Patlolla 91 DCole Patton 7 DKatie Pazushko 83 SAsli Pekcan 85 NIgnacio Perez 10 HJake Pierce 68 AMatthew Pilsbury 61 TMaciek Pisarski 103 SGabe Pohl-‐Zaretsky 7 AIsaac Pohl-‐Zaretsky 7 EJordan Popofsky 86 LDanielle Porter 34 RJamie Powers 14 DAli Prasla 93 MTyler Preston 36 PJonathan Pyzdrowski 34 SClaire Rafson 41 UJay Raju 25 HJames Raleigh 109 IRoshan Ram 91 CHamza Rashid 4 FRohan Rastogi 105 UKarthik Ravi 107 SMalaika Ravindran 91 OSaigo Reddy 64 LRiley Redington 97 NSam Reed 33 DAvery Reinhart 94 EAndrew Reiss 98 OVictor Reyes 34 JCassie Rezac 29 NChris Rice 94 FIsaac Riston 55 SKara Roche 110 BMelinda Roddy 11 QNathan Rodriguez 104 F


First Name Last Name Code ChamberDavid Rodriquez 104 GRohith Rokkam 100 LMax Rombado 94 GDaniel Romero 10 CHenry Rood 103 OKate Rose 50 TJoseph Rovito 109 RMorgan Rowe 79 PTim Roy 106 LBen Rubin 41 RDanielle Rucci 46 OBailey Rung 12 RJoe Russell 15 PNicholas Salazar 10 EDanial Samani 81 ONeel Sathi 91 TAriana Schneiderhan 12 QJoey Schnide 32 JNina Schulze 61 BGabriel Sedillo 21 PEvan Segal 23 DJordan Seider 5 JPhillip Sella 93 IWayne Selogy 88 KAdam Shaham 14 EIse Sharp 14 KAndrew Sheats 92 LAmeel Sheth 87 DShaurya Shetty 1 CAlison Shim 85 KJela Shiver 31 ORyan Siegel 59 OSpencer Sigalow 54 ESankalp Singh 81 STejasvi Singh 91 NZachary Slotkin 4 IAlejandro Smith 10 GMichael Solomentsev 25 IIoana Solomon 99 HKevin Solomon 97 AGautam Sonti 1 EAbhinav Sridharan 81 TKishan Srikanth 81 QJohnny Srsich 63 MAspen Steidle 7 F


First Name Last Name Code ChamberNicholas Steinmetz 98 QDaniel Stern 103 NIan Straussman 59 ASanjay Subramanian 65 KTejas Subramanian 1 GTyler Sudeck 96 AChristian Suero 98 SJack Sullivan 43 NAndrew Sun 64 BMargarita Sweat 103 HRyan Taggarse 49 UMafaaz Tanzeem 93 UPeter Taylor 96 JLuke Theuma 24 HKat Thien 108 BAlex Towriss 104 IAndrew Towriss 104 JJohn Trezza 86 RShoshana Troen-‐Krosnow 69 MSam Turer 14 GMaximo Ulloa 10 REashvar Venkatraman 81 ENick Verderame 19 HSummer Vick 37 KSamanvit Vijapur 13 RJose Vila 109 NChristine Vo 94 HLuke Vrotsos 67 NKathleen Wach 101 IItiel Wainer 102 KAlex Wakefield 25 OAmanda Waldera 34 ACaleb Walker Wilson 7 PAnthony Walton 74 EEric Wan 85 PXiayue Wang 90 SJosh Wasserman 36 EDante Watson 74 NAnbo Wei 69 FWen Kang Wei 2 MGreta Weinrich 14 REmily Welles 28 UMaddie Wettach 46 CJoseph Wetzel 73 GBen Wexler 75 E


First Name Last Name Code ChamberDavid Whyman 103 FThomas Williams 47 FGrant Wishner 104 RRobin Wu 30 UOliver Xie 71 MShuyin Yu 89 SCatherine Zhang 90 TJenny Zhang 2 KJoseph Zhang 5 MYichi Zhang 103 GKevin Zhou 75 RTony Zhou 66 SJacob Zionts 41 S

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation A1

A Resolution to Encourage Development of Traveling Wave Reactors

WHEREAS, Current Nuclear Programs are not as efficient and safe as intended to be; 1

and 2

WHEREAS, These Programs are polluting our environment with depleted Uranium 3

(U238) and costing far too much money; and 4

WHEREAS, This lack of efficient energy is making us rely on other means of less 5

efficient and more expensive energy; and 6

WHEREAS, Traveling Wave Reactors have the potential to eliminate the need for 7

Uranium enrichment process and reduce nuclear waste. 8

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled invests in and further develops the 9

most pragmatic and safe form of Nuclear Energy, through the use of 10

Traveling Wave Reactors.11

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Kevin Solomon.


A Bill to Hold All U.S. Presidential Primaries on the Same Day

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. All presidential primaries and caucuses for any political organization to 2

select a nominee for a general election will now be held on one day. 3

SECTION 2A. “Primaries” shall be defined as being a preliminary election to appoint 4

delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal. 5

SECTION 2B. “Caucuses” shall be defined as being a meeting of the members of a 6

legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or 7

decide policy. 8

SECTION 2C. A political organization’s nominating convention can still take the amount 9

of days needed, and will be held separately from the convention. 10

SECTION 3. The Federal Election Commission will oversee this legislation. 11

A. Any political organization who selects a nominee over a period of two 12

days or more will be fined $2,500,000 by the Federal Election 13

Commission 14

SECTION 4. This law shall take effect immediately upon passage. 15

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.16

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Nick Danby.


South Sudan Emergency Relief Act (2013)


SECTION 1. AFRICOM will be deployed to South Sudan with the following directives: 2

A. Stop ethnic and gender violence by all parties through use of force. 3

B. Protect civilian populations through use of force. 4

C. Establish humanitarian relief camps in coordination with other 5

international actors. 6

D. Deliver food and emergency relief to civilians in the region. 7

SECTION 2. AFRICOM will be granted an additional 300 million dollars and 2,000 8

personal to deal with this task, as well as support from all other US 9

military assets. 10

SECTION 3. The US will convene the UN Security Council as well as regional actors to 11

broker a conflict resolution. 12

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense will oversee implementation of this 13

legislation. 14

SECTION 4. This law will take effect immediately. 15

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 16

Introduced by Rep. Megan Johnson.17


A Bill to Amend the Constitution in Regards to Declarations of War

Whereas declarations war under the current state of the constitution are left up to the congress and Whereas the decisions made by congress fail to represent popular opinion of the population and Whereas the United States is currently not able to provide the proper funds or man power for new wars; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the congress here assembled that we will amend the constitution to change the method the United States uses to declare war on another country.

Article -‐-‐ Section 1: Declarations of war will no longer be left up to congress but will go to a National Popular Vote. Section 2: If an individual votes in favor of the declaration and it passes, they will in turn be volunteering themselves for the war effort. Section 3: If you are not of able mind or body for the armed forces, you will be issued a tax increase which will be determined by an outside contractor to predict the cost of war compared to the amount of citizens who voted in favor of the declaration. Section 4: In the case of an invasion on the United States, power to declare war on the invading nation will be in the hands of the President. Section 5: All laws conflicting with this piece of legislation will hereby declared null and void. Section 7: The passage of this piece of legislation will be overseen by the department of defense. Section 8: This law will go into effect upon passage

Introduced by Tyler Pierce.


A Bill to Establish a 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps to Combat Unemployment and Underemployment


SECTION 1. The President is able to establish and operate a Civilian Conservation 2

Corps to employ citizens of the United States, who are otherwise 3

unemployed or underemployed, in the construction, maintenance, and 4

carrying on of works of a public nature in connection with improving the 5

infrastructure and environment of the nation. 6

SECTION 2. Those classified as unemployed or underemployed will be defined as 7

those who are not employed to the extent to which they need in order to 8

support themselves and their dependents. 9

SECTION 3. Employing citizens will be defined as providing people compensation for 10

services equal to their equivalent in the private sector. 11

SECTION 4. This law will take effect immediately after passage. 12


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Tyler Sudeck.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation B1

A Resolution to Incentivize Later High School Start Times to Improve Grades and Health of Students

WHEREAS, Many high schools start earlier than 8:30am; and 1

WHEREAS, Studies show that delayed school start times lead to improved grades, 2

safety, and attendance; and 3

WHEREAS, Currently, early high school start times do not allow for high school 4

students to have enough sleep which has been shown to lead to poorer 5

test grades and ability to learn; and 6

WHEREAS, The CDC currently states sleep deprivation as a public health epidemic, 7

especially for teenagers; and 8

WHEREAS, Delayed high school start times have already been tried in thousands of 9

schools; and 10

WHEREAS, Schools that have tried delayed high school start times have not had to 11

spend a lot of money by using multiple solutions such as switching high 12

school and elementary or middle school start times; and 13

WHEREAS, The schools that have delayed school start times have shown better 14

grades and attendance and; 15

WHEREAS, Delaying high school start times can save adolescent lives; now, 16

therefore, be it 17

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled urges school districts to delay school 18

start times between 8:00am and 9:00am; and, be it 19

FURTHER RESOLVED, That schools and school boards start looking at cheap, creative 20

ways to delay high school start times in order to help their students.21

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Saagar Ram Gupta.


A Bill to Reform the Mortgage Interest Deduction


SECTION 1. The cap on interest paid on mortgages will be reduced from its current 2

value of $1,000,000 by $100,000 each year until 2019 when the 3

deduction is reduced to $600,000. 4

SECTION 2. In 2020 and after, interest paid on mortgages will no longer be deductible 5

and instead a non-‐refundable tax credit equaling 15% of the first 6

$500,000 in mortgage income paid will be created. 7

SECTION 3. This bill will be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service. 8

SECTION 4. This bill shall take effect on January 1, 2015. 9


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Daniel Nussbaum.


A Bill to Mandate Health Insurance coverage of Vaccinations to Protect the American Public

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. Congress shall mandate private health insurance to pay for the HPV,

meningococcal, and pneumococcal vaccinations at appropriate ages

SECTION 2. HPV vaccinations shall be given to those ages eleven (11) and twelve (12),

meningococcal vaccinations shall be given between the ages of nine (9) months

and ten (10) years of age, and doses of the pneumococcal vaccines at the ages of

two (2) months, four (4) months, six (6) months, and twelve to fifteen (12-‐15)

months.

SECTION 3. The Department of Health and Human Services shall enforce this bill

A. For the first eighteen (18) months, insurance agencies will be allotted to

announce and enact the policy of covering these vaccinations

B. After eighteen (18) months, insurance must continue to pay for the

vaccinations

SECTION 4. This legislation shall enact within one (1) year

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Kat Thien.


A Bill to Eliminate Al-‐Shabaab from Somalia

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


Section 1. The United States will allocate 50 million dollars to the UN Trust Fund to

qqqqqqqqqqsupport AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia).

Section 2. These funds shall go towards the training of AMISOM forces to fight Al-‐

qqqqqqqqqqShabaab in Somalia.

Section 3. The United States shall encourage the European Union and its other allies

qqqqqqqqqqto make a similar monetary commitment to AMISOM.

Section 4. The State Department shall oversee the usage of this money by the UN

qqqqqqqqqqTrust Fund to ensure it is effectively being used to combat Al-‐Shabaab.

Section 5. The law will take into effect seven days after passage.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Cameron Barkan


A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Instate Term Limits in Congress


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

is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 3

which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution 4

when ratified by the legislatures of three-‐fourths of the several states 5

within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress: 6

ARTICLE -‐-‐ 7

SECTION 1. Congress shall be limited to the number of consecutive terms in which 8

one individual can serve. 9

SECTION 2. A term is one election cycle, from inauguration to inauguration. Senators 10

will be limited to two consecutive terms and Representatives will be 11

limited to three consecutive terms. 12

SECTION 3. The United States House of Representatives and The United States 13

Senate shall oversee the enforcement of this bill. 14

SECTION 4. This law goes into effect for after the 2016-‐election year for all 15

Representatives and Senators elected during 2016 and afterwards. 16

SECTION 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 17

legislation. 18

Introduced by Erik Nielsen.19

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation C1

A Bill to Guarantee a Universal Basic Income


SECTION 1. American citizens over the age of 18 and who have not been convicted of 2

a crime shall receive $10,000 of untaxable income from the US 3

government on an annual basis. Individuals who make more than 4

$125,000 and/or couples who make over $200,000 annually will not 5

receive the annual base income. 6

SECTION 2. Children under the age of 18 shall have a basic annual income of $5,000 7

given to their parents in the child’s name. Funding for Social Security will 8

be halved, beginning in the next fiscal year and continue for 5 years. After 9

the end of the 5th year, Social Security will be eliminated. Medicare and 10

Medicaid shall also be permanently cut by 50% and spending may only 11

increase with inflation after the 5 year period. The payroll tax and federal 12

minimum wage are abolished. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 13

Program will be eliminated. 14

SECTION 3. Each program mentioned in Section 2 will be responsible for carrying out 15

its specific role as outlined in said section. 16

A. The Internal Revenue Service will verify eligibility for the annual 17

payment. 18

B. The US Treasury will be responsible for paying eligible citizens their 19

base income. 20

SECTION 4. This will go into effect January 1, 2016. 21


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Kush Mahajani.


A Resolution to Split U.S. Cyber Command from the N.S.A. to Balance Distribution of Cyber Power

WHEREAS, The Director of the N.S.A. is also the Commander of U.S. Cyber 1

Command; and 2

WHEREAS, The N.S.A. and U.S. Cyber Command have fundamentally different 3

missions; and 4

WHEREAS, Cyber espionage and cyber warfare are becoming more prevalent and 5

thus more difficult for one official to oversee; now, therefore, be it 6

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled encourage the Secretary of Defense to 7

recommend a qualified military officer to the President to lead U.S. Cyber 8

Command.9

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Grace Isford.


A RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO CREATE A VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT

WHEREAS, States are currently disenfranchising voters through voter ID laws and 1

restricted voting hours and voter list purges; and 2

WHEREAS, Such laws are unnecessary and serve only to discriminate against voters; 3

and 4

WHEREAS, The American voters must be protected from disenfranchisement in 5

order to maintain a democracy for the people and by the people; and 6

now, therefore, be it 7






ARTICLE -‐-‐ 13

SECTION 1: Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting 14

age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public 15

election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen 16

resides. 17

SECTION 2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by 18

appropriate legislation.19

Introduced by Maddie Wettach. (Sections 1 and 2 are taken from H.J. Res. 44 sponsored by Rep. Pocan [WI-‐2])


A Bill to Promote American Influence Through Trade with African Nations


SECTION 1. The United States shall develop a plan to increase exports to Africa by 2

200% in real dollar value in the next 20 years. At least 75% of these 3

exports will go to developing economies in sub-‐Saharan Africa. 4

SECTION 2. Sub-‐Saharan Africa shall be defined as the 49 countries listed in Section 5

107 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, as well as the Republic of 6

South Sudan. 7

SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of State in coordination with the President of the 8

United States shall oversee the implementation and regulation of this 9

legislation. 10

A. The strategy developed to increase exports must take into account 11

which African nations have rapidly growing economies and must 12

target those economies. 13

B. Bi-‐annual reports must be submitted for congressional review to 14

ensure that the developed plan is on track to reach the goals set in 15

this legislation. 16

SECTION 4. This legislation will go into effect January 1st, 2015 17


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Grace Buie.


A Bill to Create Clarity in Lawful Employment


SECTION 1. Any employer employing more than five paid workers is hereby required 2

to use E-‐Verify in the hiring of all new employees. If a potential employee 3

fails to pass an E-‐Verify check, then the employer is required to report 4

that person to the Department of Homeland Security, which will then 5

conduct an independent investigation. 6

SECTION 2. If the aforementioned employer fails to use E-‐Verify for all new 7

employees, fails to report an individual who fails an E-‐Verify check, or 8

hires an employee who failed an E-‐Verify check before reporting the 9

individual to Homeland Security, then the employer will be subject to 10

penalties established in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 11

SECTION 3. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will oversee the use of 12

E-‐Verify and the Department of Homeland Security will oversee the 13

implementation and execution of this bill. 14

SECTION 4. This bill will take effect one year after passage. 15


Introduced for Congressional Debate by JAMES GALLAGHER.


A Resolution to Formally Recognize Taiwan’s Independence

WHEREAS, The nation of Taiwan has a single, unified, government capable of 1

carrying out agreements and negotiations in the international 2

community; and 3

WHEREAS, Its government is based on the principles of liberal democracy; and 4

WHEREAS, The foremost goal of United States foreign policy is to promote and 5

spread the principles of liberal democracy; and 6

WHEREAS, One of the crucial values of contemporary democratic nations is the right 7

to national sovereignty; and 8

WHEREAS, Every organized, peaceful, constructive nation possesses the right to self-‐9

government; now, therefore, be it 10

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled formally recognizes the “Republic of 11

China,” based out of the city of Taipei, as the just and only government of 12

the Island of Taiwan; and, be it 13

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the United States support and encourage diplomatic 14

relations between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China.15

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Gregory Fantin.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation D1

A Resolution to Save the Bee Population

WHEREAS, there are currently 6.5 billion bees in the world; and 1

WHEREAS, the global honeybee population is dropping at a dangerous rate 2

throughout the US, Europe, and Africa; and 3

WHEREAS, beekeepers used to report average losses in their worker bees of about 4

5-‐10% a year, but starting around 2006, that rate has jumped to about 5

40% and is increasing annually; and 6

WHEREAS, this massive die-‐off of honey bee populations has been dubbed colony 7

collapse disorder (CCD), a syndrome not restricted by season or area, and 8

has been attributed to, but not restricted to, Varroa Mites, synthetic 9

chemicals, and habitat loss; and 10

WHEREAS, a substantial amount of plants and crops can only be pollinated by bees 11

and without these pollinators many key resources would become scarce 12

and un-‐obtainable by most consumers in any location and would be a 13

main contributor to world hunger; and 14

WHEREAS, according to the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department of the 15

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the worth of 16

global crops from bee’s pollination was estimated to be more to $35 17

billion in 2010; now, therefore, be it 18

RESOLVED, that the Congress here assembled the United States draft legislation for 19

bee protection; and, be it 20

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the US urge the UN to encourage affected nations to take the 21

first steps towards protecting the bee population via easy and efficient 22

suggestions from professional international beekeepers.23

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Alaina Owen.


A Bill to Establish a U.S. Security and Intelligence Court

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. A specialized U.S. Security and Intelligence Court shall be established to

3 oversee the activities of U.S. National Intelligence Agencies. The Court

4 shall adjudicate disputes on the constitutionality of activities of U.S.

5 National Intelligence Agencies.

6 SECTION 2. National Intelligence Agencies include, but are not limited to, the U.S.

7 National Security Agency, the U.S. Cyber Command, the U.S. Central

8 Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

9 SECTION 3. Congress shall establish this Court under Article 1 of the Constitution that

10 provides Congress the power to constitute tribunals inferior to the

11 Supreme Court.

12 A. While hearings may be private, Court proceedings about the nature of

13 the cases will be made public, along with the Court’s record of

14 approvals and denials.

15 B. Judges expert in the technical expertise necessary to understand

16 cyber security and intelligence are to be appointed by Congress for a

17 term of 15 years.

18 SECTION 4. This legislation shall be implemented within twelve months of passage.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Jenny Blessing.


A BILL TO ELIMINATE FUNDING FOR THE WAR ON TERROR IN AFGHANISTAN


SECTION 1. United States shall end the War on Terror in Afghanistan. 2

SECTION 2. “War on Terror” shall be defined as U.S. military presence in the country 3

in a combat or advisory role, funds for Afghan security training, and an 4

end to all US military initiatives, including UAV operations. 5

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency and the US 6

Department of Treasury shall be responsible for the implementation of 7

this legislation. 8

SECTION 4. This legislation will be implemented 4 months after passage. 9


Introduced by Jack Belk.


A Bill to End Affirmative Action

1. SECTION 1, Admission to any public university based on race or gender is hereby

illegal.

2. SECTION 2, Public university is defined as any university funded by the government.

3. SECTION 3, Affirmative action is the effort of improving the education of members of

groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of race, sex, etc.

4. SECTION 4, Any assistance in such a manner is a form of discrimination, and it is the

job of the United States to get rid of this form of discrimination.

5. SECTION 5, This bill will be enforced by the Department of Education.

6. SECTION 6, This law will go into effect on January 1, 2014.

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

Introduced by Caitlin McCarthy, Fenwick High School.


A Bill to Recognize the Republic of China


SECTION 1. The United States will extend official diplomatic relations to Taiwan. 2

SECTION 2. Taiwan, hereby referred to as the Republic of China, will be recognized as 3

a sovereign nation, independent of the People’s Republic of China. 4

SECTION 3. The Department of State will establish diplomatic missions within the 5

Republic of China. 6

A. The Department of Defense is authorized to conduct military 7

operations and training exercises with the Republic of China. 8

B. The United States will encourage the United Nations to recognize the 9

sovereignty of the Republic of China. 10

C. The United States will not recognize the extension of the Republic of 11

China’s sovereignty to what is defined as the rest of Mainland China. 12

SECTION 4. This legislation will be implemented 6 months after passing. 13


Introduced by Joseph DiPietro.15

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation E1

A Bill To Change The Welfare System


1. Section 1. Congress will hereby amend the current United States welfare system all over

2. the country to only provide relief to individuals who pass a drug test every six

3. months. This bill will prevent tax payer money from being wrongfully spent

4. on drugs. To begin welfare, an individual must pass a urine test, checking for

5. drugs in the recent past. The next tests will be more thorough, assuring that

6. individuals do not use drugs while on welfare. Any individual who does not

7. pass the test will be immediately withdrawn from the welfare program.

8. Section 2. “Welfare” shall be defined as, “the organized public or private social services

9. for the assistance of disadvantaged groups. Aid could include general welfare

10. payments, health care through Medicaid, food stamps, etc.” A drug test shall

11. be defined as a technical analysis of a biological specimen -‐ for example urine,

12. hair, blood, sweat, or oral fluid /saliva -‐ to determine the presence or absence

13. of specified drug. In this case, the drug test will test for any illegal drugs,

14. narcotics, including, but not limited to, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and

15. methamphetamine. Illegal drugs will be defined as drugs that are illegal in an

16. individual’s home state.

17. Section 3. The US Department of Health and Human Services will be responsible for

18. the enforcement of this bill. Money for drug testing will be allocated from

19. tax payer money.

20. Section 4. The provisions of this bill will go into effect January of 2014.

21. Section 5. All laws or portions of laws in conflict with this piece of legislation shall

22. hereby be declared null and void.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by: Spencer C. Sigalow


A Bill to Create The United States of Somalia


SECTION 1. The United States will help to stabilize the country of Somalia by 2

providing support and humanitarian aid for a democratic and 3

representative government. 4

SECTION 2. In an effort to stabilize Somalia, the United States will 5

A. support the Somali Federal Government, regional governments, and 6

the Somali people in their current and future efforts to develop a 7

democratic and representative government system; 8

B. support the Somali led regional efforts to improve the nation’s 9

security and stability; 10

C. support the development of professional and representative Somali 11

security forces; 12

D. provide humanitarian and monetary assistance as necessary; and 13

E. carry out all diplomatic, economic, intelligence, military, and 14

development activities until Somalia becomes an independent nation 15

with a stabilized and successful government. 16

SECTION 3. The Department of State will oversee the enforcement of this legislation. 17

SECTION 4. This legislation will go into effect May 1, 2014. 18


Introduced by Noella James.


A Bill to Strengthen US Cyber Security


SECTION 1. $15 billion shall be allocated towards the creation of new cyber security 2

technologies as well as the strengthening of existing technologies. 3

SECTION 2. Cyber security technologies shall be defined as any software or hardware 4

that may lessen the damage caused by any computer based attack on 5

network systems. 6

SECTION 3. Cyber security technologies may also include software or hardware that 7

may damage or disrupt existing network technologies. 8

SECTION 4. The United States Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) shall be responsible for 9

oversight of this piece of legislation. 10

A. CYBERCOM shall award contracts to private contractors which must 11

be renewed every two (2) years. 12

B. All contracts awarded by CYBERCOM will be subject to annual review 13

by the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. 14

SECTION 5. CYBERCOM shall be responsible for distribution of said technologies to 15

other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 16

SECTION 6. This legislation will be enacted at the start of the following fiscal year. 17


Introduced by Huzefa Diwan.19


The Saudi-‐American International Cooperation Act of 2014 1 2


SECTION 1. The United States will engage in negotiations with the Saudi Arabian 4

government. Upon cooperation, negotiations will be focused on the 5

following: 6

A. Multilateral strategy to address the Syrian Civil War and the Iranian 7

Nuclear Program. 8

B. Aligning anti-‐terrorism objectives to enhance regional security post 9

2014 Afghanistan. 10

C. Revitalizing economic relations to improve international trade. 11

SECTION 2. The Secretary of State will meet with the Saudi Arabian government once 12

every two months to discuss future bilateral policies. 13

SECTION 3. The Department of State will oversee the enforcement of this bill. 14

A. The Department of State will work with the Department of Homeland 15

Security and the Department of Defense to draft strategies. 16

SECTION 4. This law will take effect immediately upon its passage. 17


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Avery Reinhart.19


A Bill to Establish a Commission to Reform Corporate Welfare

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

2 Section1. A Corporate Welfare Commission will be created consisting of 7 members of

3 the Congressional Budget Office. The commission will send their

4 suggestions for corporate welfare reforms to Congress who will have 90

5 days to vote on passing the reforms with no amendments allowed.

6 Section 2. Corporate Welfare shall be defined as inefficient financial aid provided by the

7 government to corporations or other businesses and interest groups

8 Section 3. The Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office

9 will be in charge of overseeing the enforcement of this bill

10 A. The Congressional Budget Office will be in charge of enforcing and

11 carrying out the measures set forth in this legislation

12 B. The Government Accountability Office will be in charge of the oversight to

13 make sure that the measures in this bill are carried out properly

14 Section 4. The Corporate Welfare Commission will commence on March 1, 2014 and

15 will be required to send their bill with reforms to Congress no later than

16 June 1, 2014

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Josh Wasserman.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation F1

A Resolution to Grant the Russian Federation MNNA Membership

WHEREAS, The United States and NATO countries are continuing to struggle to 1

maintain peace smoothly in suffering third world areas such as Somalia 2

and Sierra Leone; and 3

WHEREAS, The Russian Federation is involved in a non-‐effective NATO-‐Russia 4

Council (NRC) and not providing support to NATO efforts, instead being a 5

source of tension in places such as Kosovo and Bosnia; now, therefore, be 6

it 7

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled offer the Russian Federation a Major 8

Non-‐NATO Ally (MNNA) membership; and, be it 9

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an alliance is also formed with Russia’s already established 10

allies, therefore creating an international agreement of non-‐hostility and 11

cooperation in solving worldwide issues (i.e. starvation, terrorism, green 12

energy, disease, global warming).13

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sangyeol Lee.


A Bill to Restrict the Use of Bitcoins


SECTION 1. The United States Federal Government shall henceforth prohibit 2

all components of The United States Federal government, the 3

governments of the U.S. States, all entities receiving public funding, and 4

all financial institutions existing within the United States from using, 5

dealing in, or accepting Bitcoins as legal tender. 6

SECTION 2. The Federal Reserve shall enforce this legislation, and thus shall be given 7

discretion with regard to the creation and implementation of 8

enforcement and disciplinary mechanisms thereof. 9

SECTION 3. This legislation shall go into effect five days after it is passed. 10


Introduced by David Whyman.12


A Bill to Repeal The Patriot Act


SECTION 1. The USA PATRIOT Act shall hereby be repealed. 2

SECTION 2. The United States Department of Justice shall be responsible for 3

overseeing that all organizations abide by these changes. 4

SECTION 3. This legislation shall take effect upon passage. 5


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Rocco Graziano.


The American Micro-‐Finance Loan Program of 2014 1

2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 3

SECTION 1. The United States will create a micro-‐finance program to provide microcredit and 4

financial education to low-‐income individuals. Microcredit will be granted through a 5

group lending structure. 6

SECTION 2. Financial education will be provided in the form of financial literature training and 7

business plan consultations. Microcredit is defined as loans less than $50,000 that are 8

not based on any collateral or legally enforceable contracts. A group lending structure is 9

defined as assigning joint liability contracts in which borrowers organize themselves into 10

groups of five. Borrowers under a joint liability contract must follow these 11

requirements: 12

A. If one member in the group defaults, the entire group is denied all access to credit. 13

B. Credit will only be awarded to the entire group if every member makes their weekly 14

payments with 15% interest. 15

C. Repayment must be collected in public centers, such as a town hall, that will be 16

appointed by the states. 17

D. Microcredit will be granted upon the following conditions: 18

1. Borrowers must have an income below $45,000. 19

2. Borrowers must save at least $2 per week in a personal savings account. 20

SECTION 3. The Department of Treasury will oversee the creation of this program. This program 21

shall enforce the prior requirements. 22

A. The Department of Treasury will work with the Department of Commerce and 23

Department of Labor to execute and improve this program. If this program 24

produces a deficit for five consecutive years, then it will be phased out and 25

terminated. 26

SECTION 4. This law will take effect January 1st, 2015. 27


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Chris Rice.29


A Bill to Defund the Transportation Security Agency to Decrease Traveler Harassment


SECTION 1. The Transportation Security Agency be defunded one billion dollars from 2

its chat down programs. 3

SECTION 2. The Department of the treasury shall oversee the enforcement of this 4

Bill. 5

SECTION 3. This legislation is to take effect at the start of the 2015 fiscal year. 6


Introduced for Congressional Debate by John Misey.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation G1

A Bill to Counter Chinese Naval Modernization


SECTION 1. A. The Department of Defense shall establish additional naval bases in 2

Japan and Australia. 3

B. $100 million annually shall be allocated to the budget of the navy with 4

the intent of funding naval modernization programs. 5

SECTION 2. A “naval modernization program” shall be defined as any program that 6

modernizes the US Navy in order to protect against potential threats 7

from China; this includes any program that reforms or improves cyber-‐8

security, maintenance, logistics, naval doctrine, personnel quality, 9

education, or training. 10

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense shall be responsible for the implementation 11

of this legislation. 12

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take into effect one year after passage. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sen. Benedict Bolton.


THE FAIR MINIMUM WAGE ACT OF 2014

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

SECTION 1. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 (S.460) is hereby enacted. 2

SECTION 2. The Fair Minimum Wage Act includes provisions to phase in over two 3

years an increase to $10.10 per hour and a future automatic increase 4

indexed to inflation. 5

SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of Labor will be responsible for implementing this 6

legislation. 7

SECTION 4. The timetable for minimum wage increases will begin immediately upon 8

passage. 9


Introduced by John Fadool.


A Bill to Promote Marriage and End Child-‐Poverty


SECTION 1. A. Congress shall end all marriage penalties within the United States tax 2

system. 3

B. Congress shall end all marriage penalties within all United States 4

welfare programs. 5

SECTION 2. A. A “marriage penalty” in the tax system will be defined as when a wife 6

and husband pay more income tax filing jointly as a couple than they 7

would if they had remained single and filed as individuals. 8

B. A “marriage penalty” in the welfare system will be defined as when 9

married couples receive lower benefits from government programs than 10

they would if they had not married. 11

C. “Marriage penalties” also apply to all homosexual marriages 12

considered legal in their respective states. 13

SECTION 3. The Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will 14

be responsible for implementing this bill. 15

SECTION 4. This bill will take affect April 16th, 2015 16


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Cameron Deahl.


A Resolution to Open Trade Talks with Central Asian Nations

WHEREAS, Russia is extending its influence throughout the former Soviet Union; and 1

WHEREAS, This may enable Russia to increase its role on the world stage; and 2

WHEREAS, Russian foreign policy objectives are frequently in conflict with those of 3

the United States; and 4

WHEREAS, We can slow Russia’s rise by reaching out to former members of the 5

Soviet Union; now, therefore, be it 6

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled urge the President to pursue free 7

trade deals with the nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, 8

and Tajikistan; and, be it 9

FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Congress shall ratify said agreements once they have 10

been completed.11

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Desmond Molloy.


A Bill to Employ Peacekeeping Efforts in Sudan


SECTION 1. The United States shall provide an additional $100 million to provide life-‐2

saving assistance to those affected by the violence, access to clean 3

drinking water, and transport life-‐saving relief to those in need 4

A. $50 million shall be provided for the Office of the United Nations High 5

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 6

B. $15 million shall be provided for the International Committee of the 7

Red Cross (ICRC) from the State Department’s Bureau for Population, 8

Refugees, and Migration. 9

C. $35 million shall be provided for UNICEF, the World Health 10

Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the 11

World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of 12

Humanitarian Affairs. 13

SECTION 2. The U.S. State Department will pursue negotiations between the North 14

Sudan and South Sudan governments. Goals of these negotiations will 15

include domestic attempts to mitigate increasing violence, focusing on 16

Darfur and the Three Areas of Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, as 17

well as focusing on provisions to ensure the peaceful separation and 18

establishment of two sovereign nations. 19

SECTION 3. Funding allocated in today’s legislation is to be distributed and overseen 20

by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. 21

SECTION 4. This legislation will go into effect on March 1st, 2014. 22


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Mara Dygert

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation H1

A Bill to Increase the Corporate Tax Rate


SECTION 1. The current corporate tax rate will be increased to 45%. 2

SECTION 2. “Current corporate tax rate” refers to the current rate of 35% that 3

corporations’ incomes are taxed. 4

SECTION 3. The IRS shall be placed in charge of implementing today’s legislation. 5

A. Corporations making less than $335,000 will be exempt from this tax 6

increase and will pay the former tax rate for their bracket. 7

SECTION 4. The legislation, upon passage, will take effect on September 1st, 2014. 8


Introduced By Manuel Osaba.


A RESOLUTION TO IMPROVE BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH TURKEY

WHEREAS, US-‐Turkish Relations are at an All time Low; and

WHEREAS, This low ebb in the relationship is generating multiple political and tactical

problems in the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, This lack of stability in the region is causing the Syrian situation to deteriorate

rapidly; now therefore be it,

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled recommend that President Obama make a

significant effort to improve relations with Turkey.

Introduced by Luke Theuma.


A Bill to Invest in Thorium to Create a new green future


SECTION 1. The United States will designate 3 billion dollars to the research,

development, and implementation of Liquid Thorium-‐Molten Salt nuclear

reactors.

SECTION 2. A: One billion dollars will be devoted to the research and refinement of

Liquid Thorium reactors.

B: The remaining two billion will be given out in the form of subsides to

any electric company that builds these reactors in order to cover

construction costs

SECTION 3. The Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the

Department of the Treasury will oversee the implementation of this bill

A. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will oversee the safety of any

new power plants constructed

B. The Department of Energy will oversee the aim of government

funding

SECTION 4. This bill will be implemented as of the start of the 2015 fiscal year


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sen. Erwin.


A Bill to provide federal marital protection for married same-‐sex couples who live in states that discriminate against same-‐

sex marriages.


SECTION 1. This Bill will protect the rights of same-‐sex couples in States that 2

discriminate against same-‐sex marriages. 3

SECTION 2. “Discriminate” meaning denying same-‐sex couples rights that are 4

currently given to heterosexual couples. 5

SECTION 3. The Department of Justice will be entrusted to enforce such regulation. 6

They will be responsible to make sure the state governments are 7

providing same-‐sex couples with the same rights currently given to 8

heterosexual couples. If any state refuses to comply, the Department of 9

Justice will take immediate action to make sure that all of the rights are 10

given to the couple(s). 11

SECTION 4. This Bill will be enforced and effective as of April 20th, 2014 at 12

approximately 8:00 am. 13

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void 14

including all sections in D.O.M.A. 15

Introduced by Justin Delinois.16


A Bill to Promote Diplomacy Amongst the Sudans

1 BEIT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLES THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States will hereby prioritize diplomacy amongst Sudan and

3 South Sudan above military and economic intervention, targeting talks between

heads

4 of states, as well as rivaling ethnic sects.

5 SECTION 2. Such foreign policy objectives will aim at establishing a firm border

6 between the two countries, resuming talks – particularly regarding Abyei – and

7 reconciling rivaling ethnic sects and geographic disputes.

8 SECTION 3. This will be enacted June 13th, 2014.

9 SECTION 4. This Bill will be overseen by the Department of State to guarantee its

10 maximum efficiency.

11 SECTION 5. All laws and bills in conflict with this Bill will hereby be declared null

12 and void.

Introduced by Rahul Nanchahal.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation I1

A Bill to Clarify the Rules Regarding the Writ of Habeas Corpus 1

for Military Detainees 2 3


SECTION 1. In cases regarding the granting of the writ of habeas corpus for detainees 5

in military custody, the burden of proof shall be allocated to the 6

government, and require clear and convincing evidence. 7

SECTION 2. Clear and convincing evidence shall be defined as proof that the evidence 8

against the detainee is substantially more likely to be true than to be not 9

true -‐ i.e. it will be a more rigorous standard than the status quo of 'a 10

preponderance of evidence'. 11

SECTION 3. This legislation will be enforced by the Department of Justice. 12

SECTION 4. This law shall take affect on June 1, 2014. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Michael Solomentsev.15


A Bill to Send Infrastructure Aid to the African Union (AU)


SECTION 1. A. $1 billion shall be sent to the African Union to fund infrastructure 2

projects. 3

B. Half of the infrastructure workers shall be American. Half shall be 4

African. 5

SECTION 2. Infrastructure projects shall be defined as any short-‐term or long-‐term 6

projects that support basic physical and organizational structures and 7

facilities needed for the operation of society, including but not limited to 8

buildings, roads, and power supplies. 9

SECTION 3. A. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 10

shall oversee the implementation of this legislation. 11

B. 20% of funding shall be reallocated from aid from the Egyptian Armed 12

Forces to fund this bill. The remainder of this funding shall be reallocated 13

from the Department of Defense budget. 14

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take effect 90 days after passage. 15


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Zachary Slotkin.


A Bill to Ban Data Caps


SECTION 1. No internet service provider may offer plans that include data caps. 2

SECTION 2. Data caps are defined as any cap that limits the internet usage of any 3

networks by paid subscribers to an internet plan. 4

A. This includes any plan that forces consumers to pay by the amount of 5

data used or that requires customers to pay more after exceeding a 6

set amount of data used over a period of time. 7

B. This also includes any plan in which the quality or access to service is 8

set to decrease after a certain amount of data has been used. 9

SECTION 3. The FCC will be in charge of implementing and overseeing this legislation. 10

SECTION 4. This legislation will come into effect six months after passage. 11


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Katie Larkin.


THE STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2014


SECTION 1. The National Stem Cell Research Council (NSCRC) shall be established as 2

an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human 3

Services. 4

SECTION 2. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry, the Center for Regenerative 5

Medicine, and the Stem Cell Unit of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 6

shall break off from the NIH and become part of the National Stem Cell 7

Research Council. 8

SECTION 3. Subsidies to the National Institutes of Health shall be cut by $1.5 billion, 9

which will in turn be used to help finance the National Stem Cell Research 10

Council. 11

SECTION 4. The Director of the National Stem Cell Research Council shall be 12

appointed by the President of the United States. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by ____JAMES RALEIGH __.


A Bill to Remove the Use of Marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act to

Allow Individual State Legalization


SECTION 1. Marijuana shall be removed from Schedule 1 of the Controlled 2

Substances Act of 1970, and all other prohibiting components thereafter 3

written in the Controlled Substances Act. 4

SECTION 2. Prohibiting shall be defined as a hindrance or limitation. 5

SECTION 3. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorney 6

General will oversee the removal of the components mentioned in 7

Section 1. 8

A. Each state shall decide the legalization of marijuana individually. 9

SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented within 6 months of passage. 10


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Kaitlyn Moseley.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation J1

A BILL TO BAN THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS IN AGRICULTURE


SECTION 1. The production and imports of Genetically Modified Organisms within the 2

United States of America, as well as the consumption thereof, is hereby 3

subject to added regulation. All genetically modified organisms must 4

show that they 1) on the whole, have no negative impact on the 5

ecosystem or human health, and 2) serve to further valid scientific or 6

agricultural goals. 7

SECTION 2. The term “Genetically Modified Organism” (GMO) is to be defined as 8

“any organism whose genetic characteristics have been altered by the 9

insertion of a modified gene or a gene from another organism using the 10

techniques of genetic engineering.” 11

SECTION 3. The enforcement and oversight of these provisions will be delegated to 12

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will be held 13

responsible for the regulation of GMOs in cooperation with the Food and 14

Drug Administration. The EPA and the FDA shall appoint a joint GMO task 15

force, which shall be funded with 100 million dollars to ensure safe 16

regulation of genetically modified organisms. 17

SECTION 4. This law will take effect on January 1, 2015. 18


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Liam Cheng.


A Bill to increase investigation on PMCs To end ‘Dumping’ of background checks


SECTION 1. Many security contractors have been faking background checks, costing 2

the U.S millions of dollars. 3

SECTION 2. Security Contractors are defined as the staff workers of a PMC. 4

A PMC is defined as a private military company (or private military firm) 5

which provides security services similar to those of a governmental 6

agency. 7

“Dumping” is defined as the action of labeling background checks as 8

completed, even though they have not been reviewed. 9

SECTION 3. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) along with the U.S Department 10

of State and the U.S Office of Personnel Management shall enforce this 11

policy. 12

A. 12 million dollars shall be allocated to the investigation; 4 million shall 13

be taken from each agency. 14

SECTION 4. To be enacted by July 1, 2014. 15


Respectfully submitted by Francesca Alduncin.


A Bill to End Cruel and Unusual Punishment


SECTION 1. The Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines for possession 2

of Schedule I-‐V controlled substances shall be reformed so that the 3

Mandatory Minimum Sentence for possession of said substance cannot 4

exceed 1 year in federal prison. 5

SECTION 2. Controlled substance is defined by the DEA guidelines for Drug 6

Scheduling. Mandatory Minimum Sentence shall be defined as the 7

minimum prison sentence person convicted of a crime in federal court 8

must serve if convicted of an offense. 9

SECTION 3. The legislation applies the sentencing of all offenders convicted of 10

possession of a controlled substance including repeat, nonviolent 11

offenders. 12

A. For repeat offenders, Federal Judges may forgo mandatory 13

sentencing guidelines if they mandate that the offender participate in 14

a drug rehabilitation program as an alternative to serving time in 15

Federal Prison. 16

SECTION 4. This legislation shall become effective immediately. 17


Introduced BY JOEY SCHNIDE.19


The EBT Card Control Act of 2014

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: SECTION 1A: Purchases made on EBT cards will be limited the state where the card has

been issued and, SECTION 1B: Items purchased on the cards will be limited to a small group of items

including food, household products, personal care products, and other everyday essentials.

SECTION 1C: The purchasing of alcohol, tobacco products, personal pleasure items, and other non essential goods and services will be outlawed.

SECTION 2A: EBT cards are defined as debit cards used by welfare recipients to make

purchases, withdraw cash, etc.

SECTION 2B: Personal pleasure items are defined as any good or service that is not

essential to the well-‐being of an individual. SECTION 3: The Department of Health and Human Services will enforce this Act. SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on January 1st, 2015. SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Cavan Hagerty.


A Bill to Increase U.S. Aid to Japan


SECTION 1. The United States will lend financial support to Japan by 2

A. Designating an annual military aid package of $600 million to Japan, 3

and 4

B. Providing $250 million in economic aid to increase U.S. investment in 5

Japan. 6

SECTION 2. The increased conflict between China and Japan for the Diaoyu/Senkaku 7

islands has threatened U.S. allies in the region, primarily Japan. The 8

Japanese government is attempting economic reforms to stabilize its 9

domestic agenda while dealing with the Chinese threat. 10

SECTION 3. The US Departments of the Treasury and Defense will oversee the 11

enforcement of the bill. 12

A. The military aid will be provided through the U.S. Department of 13

Defense budget. 14

B. The economic aid will be provided through the U.S. Foreign Aid 15

budget. 16

SECTION 4. The Bill will be implemented within six months of passage. 17


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Jiayi Li

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation K1

The Pakistani Peace Act


SECTION 1. The following provisions shall be proposed to the Pakistani Government: 2

A. All United States use of combat drones in Pakistan shall cease. 3

B. $500,000,000 shall be allocated towards advancing Pakistan’s infrastructure. This aid shall 4

continue annually along with an annual USAID report on how Pakistan’s infrastructure is 5

developing. 6

C. The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) shall send military advisers into Pakistan 7

to work alongside Pakistan in continuing counter-‐terrorism operations within Pakistan’s 8

borders. These military advisers will also be in charge of ensuring the Pakistani Government 9

stays vigilant towards terrorism within their country. 10

D. The Department of Defense shall supply $2,000,000,000 in military aid to Pakistan annually 11

which shall be used to fund and supply the counter-‐terrorism operations in subsection (c) 12

Section 1. 13

E. If Pakistan does not follow these provisions or agree to cooperate with US military advisers 14

and aid, this legislation shall be suspended until they do so. 15

F. All funding for this legislation shall come out of the budget of the Department of Defense. 16

SECTION 2. A. Combat drones shall be defined as armed unmanned aerial vehicles. 17

B. Military advisers shall be defined as a military officer who serves as an adviser to the troops 18

and military of another nation. 19

C. The military aid this legislation provides shall be defined as aid which is used to assist 20

counter-‐insurgency and counter-‐terrorism efforts. 21

SECTION 3. The United States Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense shall be 22

in charge of implementing this legislation. 23

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take into effect immediately upon passage and confirmation from the 24

Pakistani government that they shall comply with this legislation, its provisions, and all aid it 25

provides. 26


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Itiel Wainer


A Bill to Dismantle Dodd-‐Frank to Fix the Financial Industry


SECTION 1. The Dodd-‐Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act shall be 2

repealed. 3

SECTION 2. Section 1: All statutes that are part of the Dodd-‐Frank Wall Street Reform and 4

Consumer Protection Act shall no longer be in effect. 5

Section 2: All amendments to the Dodd-‐Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer 6

Protection Act after July 21, 2010 shall no longer be in effect. 7

SECTION 3. This bill shall be enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission. 8

SECTION 4. This bill shall take effect on January 1, 2016. 9


Introduced by Sanjay Subramanian.11


A Bill to Increase the Israeli Foreign Aid to Strengthen Israeli Defense Systems


SECTION 1. The amount of foreign aid to Israel will be increased by 2 (two) billion 2

dollars annually in order to improve the Israeli defense system. 3

SECTION 2. The Israeli defense system includes but is not limited to the Israeli “Iron 4

Dome”, a missile protection system. 5

SECTION 3. The secretary of state will oversee the enforcement of this legislation and 6

monitor that the additional 2 (two) billion dollars provided annually be 7

used strictly for defense systems. 8

A. The increased aid provided in this bill will be permanently revoked if it 9

is used for any other purpose besides defense protection. 10

SECTION 4. This bill will take effect at the start of the 2015 fiscal year. 11


Introduced by Austin Lessin.13


A Bill to Decrease Illegal Immigration and Increase American Jobs

1: Section 1: The Federal Government begins a public works project of a fence 35 feet

2: high along the entire US-‐Mexican border, inclusive of heat detectors and soldier

ports.

3: Only unemployed workers will be hired for this project.

4: Section 2: Soldier ports will be equipped with technology to properly secure the

5. border.

6: Section 3: The Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security will

7. have joint oversight of the project.

8: Section 4: The project will begin in the 2014 fiscal year.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Justin Lafazan


A Bill to Modify the Power of Grand Juries to Abide By Probable Cause


SECTION 1. Federal Grand Juries shall be required to provide probable cause in order 2

to issue subpoenas duces tecum. Furthermore, Federal Grand Juries may 3

not subpoena documents from a defendant’s attorney or prohibit the 4

attorney from accompanying the defendant during testimony. 5

SECTION 2. Grand Jury subpoenas duces tecum shall be defined as a summons that 6

can compel recipients to provide testimony or documentation. 7

Moreover, probable cause shall be defined as the evidential basis needed 8

to acquire the warrant. 9

SECTION 3. The US Department of Justice, which shall be accountable to the Senate 10

Judiciary Committee, shall oversee the implementation of this legislation. 11

SECTION 4. The bill will go into effect six months after passage. 12


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Joshua Graham.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation L1

A Bill to Increase Regulations on Disability Insurance


SECTION 1. A. The annual budgetary appropriation to the Cooperative Disability 2

Investigations (CDI) units will be increased by $50 million in order to 3

expand and establish further CDI units across the United States. 4

B. Fines for individuals committing disability fraud will increase to a 5

maximum of $500,000. 6

SECTION 2. Disability fraud is defined as any claim for Disability Insurance where an 7

individual knowingly makes a false statement or withholds information in 8

order to receive disability benefits. 9

SECTION 3. The Social Security Administration along with the Cooperative Disability 10

Investigations units will oversee enforcement of this bill. 11

SECTION 4. This law will take effect on October 1, 2014. 12


Introduced BY SYDNEY HANAN.14


A Bill to Increase Microloans to Latin America


SECTION 1. The US will increase investment into entities giving microloans to the 2

constituents of Latin American countries to 100 million dollars per year. 3

A. Define Latin America as all the regions acknowledged by the United 4

Nations as residing in the Latin America area. 5

SECTION 2. The U.S. Small Business Administration will approve of the intermediary 6

lenders before government investing into specified lenders commences. 7

SECTION 3. The Department of Treasury will also have oversight over the 8

implementation of this piece of legislation. 9

SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented upon passage. 10


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Pranav Kumar.


A Bill to Regulate a Limited Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: SECTION 1: Whereas immigration is a controversial topic within the United States of America, and since the proposal of a path to citizenship has been discussed at length by all branches of government, let it be that all the solutions to the issues relating to immigration be confirmed at one time to avoid arguments amongst the political parties. SECTION 2: Let it be that all Americans are the priority in the workforce. Seeing as immigrant workers should also be employed, they shall require a certain number of years of education and/or training specific to their specialized field of work. SECTION 3: Let it be that E-‐verify is enforced in all workplaces. Seeing as employers must use E-‐verify, they must follow the proper rules and responsibilities and protect the privacy of their employees.

SECTION 4: Let the path to citizenship be limited. If immigrants become citizens, they must pay the same taxes as American citizens with no exceptions. Let it be that in a family of immigrants, at least one person must be employed. SECTION 5: Let legal immigrants have pension and government services determined by their working hours. Including but not limited to: Deposit for medical care of older immigrants with limitations to medical histories or proneness to injuries/diseases, and the ability to obtain passports and licenses. SECTION 6: Let it be that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will oversee the use of E-‐Verify and the Department of Homeland Security will oversee the implementation and execution of this bill. SECTION 7: This bill will be reviewed and reexamined every 5 years after enactment. SECTION 8: This bill will take effect 1 year from the date of passage. SECTION 9: All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Respectfully submitted by Megan Lundin.


A Resolution to Require Daily Community Service for Non-‐Violent Inmates

WHEREAS, Community Service has become ineffective due to a lack of volunteers as 1

well as the sheer volume of work required; and 2

WHEREAS, The effectiveness of rehabilitation on inmates could be improved; and 3

WHEREAS, Community Service may provide an inmate with a sense of contribution 4

and self-‐worth; and 5

WHEREAS, The community service can help maintain public safety; and 6

WHEREAS, Tax dollars can be utilized more effectively to benefit communities; and 7

WHEREAS, Community service gives inmates more activity to improve physical and 8

mental stability; now, therefore, be it 9

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled require all non-‐violent inmates 10

incarcerated in the U.S. prison system to work no less than 24 hours per 11

week, excluding Sundays, as well as holidays.12

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Andrew Sheats


The Nuclear Deterrence Act of 2014 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The US will reduce the amount of nuclear weapons in its arsenal to 311

nuclear weapons.

SECTION 2. The Department of Defense disclosed in 2012 that the US has 5,113

weapons in its arsenal.

SECTION 3. The Department of Defense will ensure the following:

The nuclear arsenal will be reduced to have 311 weapons.

100 of the remaining warheads will be dedicated and spread out to

the various ICBM sites scattered around the country. The DoD will

decide exactly how many weapons should go to each site.

24 nuclear warheads will be dedicated to the Trident D-‐5 missiles, to

be carried around by submarines.

19 of the warheads will be dedicated to cruise missiles, to be carried

around by B-‐2 stealth bombers.

SECTION 4. The arsenal will be reduced by 2030, and the weapons should be placed

appropriately by 2034.


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Tim Roy.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation M1

A Bill to Revise All Foreign Aid to Middle Eastern Countries


SECTION 1. A. The United States shall cut 25% of all foreign aid to the countries of 2

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, 3

Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. 4

B. Revision of this foreign aid will lower the amount of money spent in 5

the next Fiscal Years, including Fiscal Year 2014. 6

SECTION 2. The Fiscal Year is the budget of the United States of America for one year. 7

This bill will be implemented in all budgets, starting with Fiscal Year 2014. 8

The cut of 25% of foreign aid will result in the lowering of the amount 9

spent in the next Fiscal Years. 10

SECTION 3. USAID, the Special Inspector General of the USAID, and the U.S. 11

Department of State will be responsible for the implementation of this 12

bill. 13

SECTION 4. This bill will take effect on January 1, 2014. 14


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Noah Levy.


A Bill to Increase the Funding and Efficiency of 3-‐D Printers BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. The United States Government shall hereby grant companies that use 3-‐D 2

printers to produce 10% or more of their products a 5% corporate tax 3

break. The United States Government shall allocate $250 million towards 4

the research of 3-‐D printers over the next five years. 5

SECTION 2. To purchase a 3-‐D printer for either recreation or business requires a 6

background check and a yearly government inspection of the inventory 7

and the printer. The printing of all firearms, ammunition, other weaponry 8

and parts of the above is no longer legal. 9

SECTION 3. This Bill shall be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau 10

of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. 11

SECTION 4. This Bill shall be enacted on January 1st 2014. 12


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Adam Hassanein.


A BILL TO MAKE COLLEGE TUITION FEES MORE AFFORDABLE


SECTION 1. A. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) 2

shall have an annual budget of 30 billion dollars for total Pell funds; this value 3

shall change each year according to the inflation rate. 4

B. All colleges and undergraduate institutions at universities must annually publish reports on 5

average return on investment (ROI) for prospective students and undergraduates who attend 6

their college. 7

C. Following the fiscal year of 2020, colleges must have a locked tuition cost that 8

can change annually by up to 0.5% greater than that year’s inflation rate. 9

Institutions that change their tuition by more than 0.5% over the inflation rate will 10

be penalized by twice the amount which the institution would have otherwise 11

earned. 12

SECTION 2. A. College tuition is defined as undergraduate college annual tuition. 13

B. ROI reports must include the ROI in percentage and net monetary return 14

(actual value). 15

C. To have a locked tuition cost means to have a set, baseline tuition price. 16

D. Inflation rate shall be determined based on the consumer price index annual 17

change in the United States. 18

E. The penalization of an institution will take into account the inflation rate for 19

the year for which the tuition cost was in place. 20

SECTION 3. A. The NASFAA will be in charge of this operation. 21

B. Mechanisms for the reinforcement of the bill will rely on the IRS. Any 22

penalization fees will be transferred to the NASFAA funding for Pell funds. 23

SECTION 4. This bill will come into effect in the fiscal year 2015. 24


Introduced by Oliver Xie .


A BILL TO AMEND THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERMANENT PARTNERS

BE IT ENACTED 0BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. 8 U.S.C. §1153 (Allocation of Immigrant Visas) is amended by striking ‘spouse’ 2

each place it appears and inserting ‘spouse or permanent partner’, by striking 3

‘remarries’ and inserting ‘remarries or enters a permanent partnership with 4

another person,’; and by adding at the end of 8 U.S.C. §1153 subsection (e) 5

“120,000 more Visas will be granted every year than current levels starting the 6

fiscal year after this law is passed.” 7

SECTION 2. Permanent partner shall be defined as an individual 18 years of age or older in 8

which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment. 9

Permanent partnership shall be defined as a relationship that exists between 10

two permanent partners. 11

SECTION 3. A. The US Department of Homeland Security will oversee the enforcement of 12

the bill along with these specific enforcement mechanisms. 13

B. The Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and/or other 14

Government officials, where appropriate, shall take action to penalize any 15

individual who knowingly enters into a marriage or permanent partnership for 16

the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be 17

imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined not more than $250,000, or both. 18

SECTION 4. This law will take effect within six months of passage. 19


Introduced for Congressional Debate by David Millstein.


A Bill to Construct a Naval Base in Kenya to Counter Somali Terrorism


SECTION 1. The United States shall begin the construction of a naval base on the 2

coast of Kenya to prevent the Al-‐Shabaab militant group from spreading 3

Al Qaeda influence into the region. Funding for the legislation will stem 4

from the shutting down of unnecessary European military bases. 5

SECTION 2. Unnecessary European military bases shall be defined as bases that are 6

no longer functional for any purposes of defense or geopolitical benefit. 7

SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of Defense will oversee the enforcement of this 8

legislation by allocating 1 billion dollars to construct the base. 9

A. In addition to the 1 billion dollars for construction, 20 million dollars 10

will be allocated annually for the upkeep and maintenance of the 11

base. 12

B. If at any time the base is found to be ineffective after a five year trial 13

period, funding will be revoked and the base will be shut down. 14

SECTION 4. This bill will take effect immediately upon passage. 15


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Julia Kerr.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation N1

A Bill Amending the Immigration Act of 1990 to Reform the American Legal Immigration Process


SECTION 1. The Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub.L. 101-‐649, 104 Stat. 4987) is hereby 2

amended to reform the American Legal Immigration Process. 3

SECTION 2. Title 1, Subtitle A, Section 101, Subsection (c), Clause (i) of Pub.L. 101-‐4

649, 104 Stat. 4987 is hereby amended to read “600,000, minus.” 5

SECTION 3. Title 1, Subtitle A, Section 101, Subsection (d), Paragraph (A) of Pub.L. 6

101-‐649, 104 Stat. 4987 is hereby amended to read, “175,000, plus.” 7

SECTION 4. Title 1, Subtitle A, Section 101, Subsection (e) of Pub.L. 101-‐649, 104 Stat. 8

4987 is hereby amended to read, “Worldwide Level of Diversity 9

Immigrants.—The worldwide level of diversity immigrants is equal to 10

74,250 for each fiscal year.” 11

SECTION 4. This legislation shall go into effect on January 1st, 2016. 12


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Jay Lusk.


A RESOLUTION TO URGE THE PRESIDENT TO END THE USE OF SIGNATURE STRIKES

WHEREAS, The use of signature strikes in the United States’ drone policy undermines our

credibility; and

WHEREAS, Several governments have expressed discontent with the policy; and

WHEREAS, Signature strikes often creates more terrorists than it kills; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that the United States change the perception of our drone

program; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Student Congress here assembled urge the president to officially ban

the use of signature strikes in all countries.

Introduced by Kristen Love


A Bill to Improve Computer Science Education


SECTION 1. A total of $30 (thirty) billion dollars shall be allocated to State Education 2

Departments for the purpose of funding Computer Science Education. 3

SECTION 2. “Computer Science Education” shall be defined as education that teaches 4

about computer programming, software design, computer hardware, and 5

applications of computers. 6

SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of Education shall be responsible for the 7

implementation of this bill. 8

A. This bill shall be funded by a $30 (thirty) billion-‐dollar reduction in 9

spending to the Department of Defense. 10

SECTION 4. This bill shall take effect on January 1st, 2015. 11


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Senator Luke Vrotsos.


A Bill to Expand US Commercial Interests in Multilateral

Development Banks BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. The US shall increase funding towards expanding the scope of 2

Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) activity: 3

A. $100 million shall be allocated to the Foreign Commercial Services for 4

the appointment of representatives responsible for protecting and 5

promoting American commercial interests. 6

B. Aside from the MDB contributions of FY2015, an additional $500 7

million shall be allocated towards general capital increases of non-‐8

concessional lending windows. 9

SECTION 2. The term Multilateral Development Bank, or MDB, refers to international 10

institutions that finance development projects and economic policy 11

reform in developing countries, such as the World Bank. 12

SECTION 3. The Department of the Treasury shall oversee the enforcement of this 13

legislation along with the Department of Commerce. 14

SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented at the beginning of fiscal year 2015. 15


Introduced by Asli Pekcan


A Bill to Bolster Private Investment in Green Energy


SECTION 1. The Department of the Treasury will issue bonds to the public with the 2

purpose of generating funds to subsidize green energy development. 3

SECTION 2. The bonds will be issued with an eight point five percent (8.5%) return 4

rate every fiscal quarter over ten (10) years. 5

SECTION 3. The Department of the Treasury will transfer all funds raised to the 6

Department of Energy to subsidize green energy development at their 7

discretion. 8

A. The Department of Energy’s discretion will be used to select green 9

energy companies that have potential for financially sound growth. 10

SECTION 4. This legislation will be implemented at the start of the 2015 Fiscal Year. 11


Introduced BY JACK SULLIVAN.13

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation O1

A Resolution to Reform Foreign Air Strikes

WHEREAS, The US often employs manned air strikes in foreign countries to combat 1

terrorism; and 2

WHEREAS, Civilian deaths from manned air strikes drive up recruitment for terrorist 3

organizations; and 4

WHEREAS, Terrorist organizations directly harm US national security; and 5

WHEREAS, Manned air strikes are more costly to implement than unmanned air 6

strikes; and 7

WHEREAS, The US needs to balance both its monetary and military objectives; now, 8

therefore, be it 9

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation 10

for the US Department of Defense to decrease its usage of manned air 11

strikes and increase its usage of unmanned drone strikes; and, be it 12

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the US urge the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 13

and its member states to decrease manned air strikes and increase drone 14

strikes.15

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Zachariah Chou.


A Bill to Reallocate Funds to Increase Security in Our Schools


SECTION 1. The United States shall increase the security within public schools by 2

reallocating funds from the federal military budget into school security. 3

SECTION 2. Security measures will include technology such as metal detectors and 4

scanners. 5

SECTION 3. This bill shall be enforced in conjunction by the Department of Education 6

and the Department of Defense. 7

A. These measures shall be placed within public elementary, junior high, 8

and high schools in order to ensure the safety of students. 9

B. Funds from the federal military budget shall be given to state 10

governments to redistribute to public schools. Funding to each state 11

will be proportionate to each state’s crime rates. 12

SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect on June 5, 2015. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Meagan-‐Faye Allen.


A Bill to Increase and Broaden Taxes on Financial Transactions


SECTION 1. A. The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) shall be responsible for 2

proposing a broad financial transactions tax to Congress. 3

B. “Section 31” fees on securities transactions shall be changed as 4

follows: 5

1. Debt securities (i.e. bonds, debentures, and other evidences of 6

indebtedness) shall no longer be exempted from taxation. 7

2. New minimum fees shall be set at triple the rate of the current 8

fees. 9

C. All revenue raised by this bill shall be allocated towards implementing 10

the Dodd-‐Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 11

SECTION 2. “Section 31” fees are the taxes levied, under Section 31 of the Securities 12

Exchange Act of 1934, by the SEC on the volume of trades handled by 13

self-‐regulatory organizations (i.e. securities exchanges). 14

SECTION 3. The SEC shall be responsible for implementing this legislation. 15

SECTION 4. This legislation shall take into effect 180 days after passage. 16


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Dennis Nenov.


A Bill to End the Embargo Against the Republic of Cuba


SECTION 1. The United States will hereby end its embargo against the Republic of 2

Cuba. 3

SECTION 2. The embargo in question shall be defined as any economic restrictions 4

placed on the trade between the United States and the Republic of Cuba 5

set in place through the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the Foreign 6

Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuba Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the 7

Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Helms-‐Burton Act of 1996, and the 8

Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. 9

SECTION 3. The United States Department of the Treasury will oversee the 10

implementation of this bill. 11

SECTION 4. This bill will be implemented on January 1, 2015 12


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Brendan Kaiser.


A Bill to increase funding towards Nuclear Energy


SECTION 1. The United States of America should increase funding towards research 2

and development of nuclear energy for domestic energy consumption. 3

SECTION 2. Research regarding safer and more efficient methods of producing 4

nuclear energy and developing power plants from the findings in the 5

research of nuclear energy. 6

SECTION 3. This bill will be overseen by the Department of Energy as well as the 7

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 8

A. This includes research into finding safe ways to recycle nuclear waste 9

and reuse it for fuel and other mechanisms. 10

B. Development of new non-‐pressurized water reactors or non-‐uranium 11

based reactors. 12

C. Renewing or closing of generation II reactors in the country. 13

SECTION 4. This bill will be enacted January 3rd, 2015. 14

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

Introduced by Jela A. Shiver.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation P1

The Selective Elimination of Nonprofits whom Attempt to Takeover Elections (SENATE) Act


SECTION 1. The SENATE Act amends Title 26, subtitle A, chapter 1, subchapter F-‐I, 2

Section 501, Subsection C(4)(A) of the US Code to read: “Civic leagues or 3

organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the 4

promotion of social welfare, or local associations of employees, the 5

membership of which is limited to employees of a designated person or 6

persons in a particular municipality, and the net earnings of which are 7

devoted exclusively to charitable, educational or recreational purposes.” 8

SECTION 2. Section 501 (c) (4) pertains to the regulation of social welfare groups 9

which are commonly used to make anonymous donations to Political 10

Action Committees (PACs) and SuperPACs. 11

SECTION 3. The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) and Internal Revenue Service 12

(IRS) will oversee the implementation of this law. 13

A. The IRS will give all existing organizations notice that they need to re-‐14

file taxes for their 2014 tax fillings if they currently file taxes under 15

the 501 (c) (4) sections and are no longer eligible under the new 16

provisions. 17

B. The FEC will be given a list of all PAC/SuperPAC donors. 18

SECTION 4. The new requirements for the 501 (c) (4) section will be used when filling 19

2014 taxes. 20


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Joe Russell.


A Bill to Increase Funding to Combat Drone Research BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. 500 Million Dollars will be allotted to fund research to improve combat 2

drones effectiveness. 3

SECTION 2. A Combat Drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle. Combat Drone Research 4

will be defined as the research to improve combat drone effectiveness. 5

SECTION 3. A. The Department of Defense will oversee the implementation of this 6

bill. 7

B. This bill will be financed by Federal Funding 8

SECTION 4. This bill is to be put into effect at the start of FY 2015. 9


11

Introduced By: Benjamin Burstein 12


A Bill to Create Economic Sanctions to Bring Whistleblowers to Trial


SECTION 1. The United States will sanction all countries that harbor or grant asylum 2

to any individual connected with leaking classified government 3

documents. The sanctions will be lifted if the targeted countries extradite 4

the individuals to the United States. 5

SECTION 2. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, a freeze financial 6

transactions, import restrictions, and export blockades. 7

SECTION 3. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury 8

will enforce this legislation. 9

SECTION 4. The sanctions will be implemented 6 months after passage of the 10

legislation. 11


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Dhruv Luthra.


A Bill to End Sanctions on Myanmar

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Section 1:

Section 2:

Section 3:

Section 4:

Section 5:

Section 6:

Section 7:


The United States shall end all current sanctions against Myanmar.

The sanctions include but will not be limited to sanctions on property,

foreign investment, commerce, etc.

This act will be re-‐evaluated by a bi-‐partisan committee in exactly one

year to determine future United States sanction policy in Myanmar.

American businesses will no longer face any specific restrictions against

business in Myanmar other than the regulation that are currently in

place for corporations overseas.

This act will be implemented by the United States State Department

This act will go into effect immediately after passage.

All other laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null

and void.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Morgan Rowe (Pennsbury High School)


A Bill to supply multi-‐vitamin chewable tablets to school age children in order to reduce nutritional deficiencies


SECTION 1. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will include a multi-‐vitamin 2

chewable tablet for every school lunch served. 3

SECTION 2. Multi-‐vitamin chewable tablet will include the necessary age appropriate 4

nutrients that children require for optimal health. 5

A. Multi-‐vitamin chewable tablets will be designed for particular age 6

groups (elementary, junior high, and high school). 7

B. Each tablet will not contain more than 100 percent of the Daily Value 8

of vitamins and minerals. 9

C. Parental permission must be obtained prior to student dispensing. 10

SECTION 3. The NSLP will allocate 330 million dollars per school year to supply each 11

lunch with a multi-‐vitamin chewable tablet. Each individual state education 12

agency will oversee and enforce compliance as a condition for receiving 13

federal money. 14

A. Multi-‐vitamin must be made available for parent approval as a 15

condition of receiving funds for the School Lunch Program. 16

B. The Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration shall provide a list 17

of appropriate vitamins. 18

C. Vitamins through this program must be FDA approved specifically for 19

this program. 20

SECTION 4. This law will take effect September 1, 2015 21


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Gabriel Sedillo.23

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation Q1

A Bill to Legalize Consensual Posthumous Anthropophagy


SECTION 1. Consensual posthumous anthropophagy will now be legalized in the 2

United States. 3

SECTION 2. Consensual posthumous anthropophagy will be defined as a mutual 4

contractual agreement established by both parties prior to the death and 5

consumption. 6

SECTION 3. Mandated psychological tests will ensure the validity of said contract. 7

SECTION 4. This law will only apply to persons who have passed due to natural 8

causes. 9

A. Natural causes will be defined as death due to illness or internal 10

malfunction not caused by an external force. 11


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Dennis Fiore.


A Bill to Require Security to Protect Consumers’ Information


SECTION 1. The United States shall require credit card issuers and retailers to enact 2

security measures for the protection of their customers’ financial 3

information. 4

SECTION 2. Security measures shall include microchips that must be installed by 5

credit card issuers. 6

SECTION 3. This bill shall be enforced by the Department of Commerce. 7

A. All credit and debit cards must be chip-‐enabled. In order to qualify as 8

chip-‐enabled, credit and debit cards must hide data behind 9

encryption and require a personal identification number (PIN) for use. 10

B. Retail companies with security breaches that allow customer 11

information to be stolen shall be liable for civil damages. 12

SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect on January 1, 2017. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Healy Gier.


A Bill to Preserve Equal Voting Representation


SECTION 1. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 (2 USC § 2A) is amended to mandate 2

that all congressional districts with a given state be equally populated. 3

SECTION 2. “Equally populated” shall be met as long as the difference in population 4

between any two districts in a state is within 10% of that total state 5

population. 6

SECTION 3. The bill will go in effect within 6 months of passage. 7

SECTION 4. The Department of Commerce shall carry out this legislation. 8

SECTION 5. All portions of laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared 9

null and void.10

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Raina Karia


A Resolution to Decrease Oil Trade with Venezuela

WHEREAS, Bilateral relations with Venezuela have always been troubled, and with 1

new Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, not showing his worth yet 2

on the economic stage, American interests within the country are put in a 3

tight spot; and 4

WHEREAS, Maduro is faced with nearly 50% inflation and hard-‐currency shortages 5

that have only been perpetuated by the fact that he believes that the 6

only way to fix it is by ruling by decree, which is questionable as politics 7

behind the scenes is illegitimated on a tug of war between radical 8

ideologues and pragmatists; and 9

WHEREAS, Investors are worried for good cause as the yield on Venezuela’s 10

benchmark 2027 dollar bond has risen to more than 12 percent from 11

under 9 percent at the start of the year and is coupled with the annual 12

cost of investing $10 million of Venezuela debt against default for five 13

years has risen to $983,000 versus $600,000 in January; and 14

WHEREAS, This has destroyed the oil market within Venezuela as their Ministry of 15

Energy and Petroleum reports that the price for oil has dropped to 16

$95.76 per barrel from the estimated $100 per barrel; and 17

WHEREAS, The United States would be losing out in profit by investing as much as 18

we do today since the profit made would only be marginal at best 19

because of the highly-‐likely devaluation of the bolivar in the near future; 20

and 21

WHEREAS, Nicolas Maduro has begun to become a poor imitation of Hugo Chavez, 22

recently blaming the poor state of the economy on an elaborate 23

American plot of sabotage and kicked out Washington’s envoy to 24

Venezuela with an emphatic, “Yankees go home!”; so therefore be it, 25

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled decrease the amount of barrels 26

imported from the country from 720,000 a day to 550,000 a day by the 27

next fiscal year.28

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Collin Flemmons.


A Bill to Restore the Homeland


SECTION 1. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) be 2

amended to include more stringent regulations on mining. 3

A. The Abandoned Mine Land (AML) fund tax shall be increased to 20 4

dollars per ton for surface mined coal, 15 dollars per ton for coal 5

mined underground, and 5 dollars per ton for lignite mined. 6

B. The OFFICE of SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION and ENFORCEMENT 7

(OSMRE) will now inspect operational mines inside the contingent 8

United States 2 times annually to ensure compliance with all aspects 9

of SMCRA. Operations found in serious violation shall be fined an 10

additional 15% of their projected reclamation plan cost. 11

SECTION 2. “Serious violation” remains as defined under current OSMRE standards. 12

SECTION 3. The OSMRE, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of the 13

Treasury will oversee the implementation of this bill. 14

A. The OSMRE will receive an additional 3 billion dollars annually to help 15

oversee inspection. 16

SECTION 4. This bill will take effect January 1st 2015. 17


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Amy Nichols.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation R1

A Bill to Increase Federal Funding to the WIC Program


SECTION 1. Congress shall increase funding to the Women, Infants, Children (WIC) 2

program by $1 billion through federal grants that later will be distributed 3

to the state WIC agencies in FY 2014. 4

SECTION 2. WIC shall be defined as program designed to help feed malnourished 5

families struggling to pay for food and nutrients. A Federal Grant shall be 6

defined as a set amount of money allocated to programs for the states. 7

SECTION 3. The Department of Agriculture will oversee the distribution of the 8

funding and will conduct yearly research projects to determine the 9

effectiveness of WIC. 10

A. The Food and Nutrition Service will be in charge of dispersing the 11

funding to the States. 12

B. State Health Departments are responsible for administering funding 13

properly to WIC supported families. 14

SECTION 4. This legislation will be appropriated in to the budget for FY 2014. 15


Introduced By Grant Wishner.


A Resolution to Diversify the Economy of the Sahel

WHEREAS, The economies of the countries within the Sahel region of Africa are 1

extremely dependent on Agriculture; and 2

WHEREAS, Climate change is destroying crops thus preventing the economies of the 3

Sahel to grow; and 4

WHEREAS, The potential for a thriving industrial and service economy exist; and 5

WHEREAS, the governments of the Sahel need exterior support to be successful; 6

now, therefore, be it 7

RESOLVED, That the United States help fund the mining industry in the Sahel through 8

a mix of public and private measures. 9 Introduced for Congressional Debate by Nicolas Gerard.


A Resolution for a Preferential Trade Area (PTA) in Eastern Europe

WHEREAS, Poor diplomatic and economic ties have allowed Russia to expand its 1

hegemony in Eastern Europe; 2

WHEREAS, Preferential Trade Area is defined as a block of nations that mutually 3

agree to lowered tariffs and duties, preferential exchanges of 4

commodities, and monetary and economic integration; 5

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled will request The President of the 6

United States propose the formation of a Preferential Trading Area with 7

Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria, with The President being urged 8

to follow these outlines when drafting the agreement: 9

A. Each state remove all anti-‐protest laws. 10

B. Each state represent members of its main opposition party in drafting 11

the agreement. 12

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Office of the United States Trade Representative will be 13

consulted in drafting and proposing the agreement with emphasis being 14

put on discussion of the following policies: 15

A. Enacting of Anti-‐Inflation Policies by each states central bank. 16

B. Subsidizing loans for energy production and extraction when sold to 17

the EU or US. 18

C. Allowing conditional trade of military goods and establishment of 19

military liaisons. 20

D. Preventing of trade deficits through tax breaks and subsidies to 21

smaller producers of raw materials and foods. 22

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Bailey C. Rung23


A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Prevent the Practice of Fiscal Federalism







ARTICLE -‐-‐ 7

SECTION 1: The federal government may not cut federal aid to an individual state 8

due to the failure of such state to comply with a federal law. 9

SECTION 2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 10

legislation. 11

Introduced by John Trezza12


A Resolution to Expand Off-‐Shore Oil Drilling 1

WHEREAS, The United State relies too much on foreign oil and we need to decrease our 2

dependence; and 3

WHEREAS, There is untapped oil under the rocky floors of the Pacific and Atlantic 4

oceans Off the US Coast; and 5

WHEREAS, The field of deep-‐water offshore drilling creates jobs for American 6

workers; and 7

WHEREAS, Offshore oil drilling will result in greater domestic production; and 8

WHEREAS, Offshore drilling will increase the supply of oil, resulting in lowering 9

gasoline prices; and 10

WHEREAS, Opening restricted areas to offshore oil production will generate billions in 11

state and federal revenue; and 12

WHEREAS, Minerals Management Service has estimated that there are around 18 13

billion barrels in underwater areas now off limits to drilling; now, 14

therefore, be it 15

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled urges the President to expand 16

offshore drilling by lifting restrictions on off-‐limits areas established by 17

previous executive orders. 18

Introduced by Fuad Matti.19

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation S1

A Resolution to Reform Conflict Mineral Policy

WHEREAS, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries have 1

been plagued by civil war and violence for decades; and 2

WHEREAS, Militant groups in African states generate most of their funding from 3

“conflict mining” operations and use that funding to perpetuate civil 4

unrest; and 5

WHEREAS, International markets and competitors have circumvented U.S. policies 6

that have attempted to halt mining operations funding such violence; and 7

WHEREAS, These competitors have increased consumption of conflict minerals, 8

funding insurgencies and driving up market prices of minerals; now, 9

therefore, be it 10

RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled repeal section 1502 of the Dodd-‐Frank 11

Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and, be it 12

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled urge the World Trade 13

Organization to impose a strict international ban on the consumption or 14

trade of minerals found to have originated in mining operations deemed 15

to fund insurgent or militant groups anywhere.16

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Ryan Fedasiuk.


A BILL TO RECREATE THE WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION TO TO INVEST IN THE AVERAGE AMERICAN AND INVIGORATE THE

ECONOMY


SECTION 1. To recreate the WPA for the twenty-‐first century, in a time of economic necessity. The 2

WPA will carry out projects that benefit infrastructure and the American Economy and 3

Peoples. Projects will be proposed by eligible departments and will meet certain criteria 4

before being approved by the Administration. 5

SECTION 2. Projects can be defined as: 6

Residential and commercial building 7 Weatherization projects 8 Residential and commercial water use efficiency improvement projects 9 Highway, bridge, and rail repair and maintenance projects 10 Manufacturing projects 11 Reconstructing the electric grid with renewable energy opportunities 12 Soil erosion and pesticide runoff prevention projects 13 Other projects that are proposed by the eligible departments and determined 14 appropriate by the Administration. 15

16

SECTION 3. The Administration will submit a report biannually to Congress. The Government 17

Accountability Office shall conduct an annual audit 18

A. The Report will detail: 19 a. The number of works project proposals submitted to the 20

Administration 21 b. The number of works projects approved by the Administration during 22

the reporting period; 23 c. The number of works projects completed by the date of the report; and 24 d. With respect to each approved work project, a project description that 25

includes information about whether the project is complete and other 26 information as the WPA determines relevant. 27

SECTION 4. The Bill will go into effect on January 1st, 2014 and will stay in effect until unemployment 28

drops to below 6%. $250 Billion USD will be appropriated each year to the WPA form 29

the Treasury until unemployment drops to below 6%. 30


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Sergio Vincenzo Gratta


A Bill to Increase the Funding for Federal Energy Bonds to Encourage Efficient and Renewable Energy


SECTION 1. Congress shall allocate an additional $10 billion to the Clean Renewable 2

Energy Bond (CREB) and Qualified Energy Conservation Bond (QCEB) 3

programs for the development of green energy and efficient energy 4

consumption. 5

SECTION 2. A. Green energy is hereby defined as energy development in any of the 6

following fields: Solar Thermal Electric, Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, 7

Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Electric, Municipal Solid Waste, 8

Hydrokinetic Power, Anaerobic Digestion, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, and 9

Ocean Thermal. 10

B. Efficient energy consumption is hereby defined as efforts to reduce 11

energy consumption in accordance with the guidelines of the QCEB 12

program. 13

SECTION 3. The enforcement of this bill shall be overseen by the Department of the 14

Treasury in conjunction with the Department of Energy and State Energy 15

offices. 16

A. $5 Billion shall be allocated to the CREB program and $5 Billion shall 17

be allocated to the QCEB program. 18

B. All current regulations of both programs shall remain in place. 19

SECTION 4. This bill is to be implemented upon passage. 20


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Tony Zhou.


A Bill to Provide Aid to Africa


SECTION 1. The United States shall allocate one and a half billion dollars to the 2

United States Africa Command; also know as AFRICOM, to situate 3

advisors into the countries of Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Senegal, 4

Uganda, and Nigeria. 5

SECTION 2. AFRICOM will be responsible for attempting to boost economic 6

productivity, strengthen health systems, and support human rights. 7

SECTION 3. This aid shall be issued annually. 8

SECTION 4. The United States shall request the United Nations to evaluate and issue 9

a statement every decade on the effectiveness of this aid. 10

SECTION 5. This legislation will be implemented 1 year after passing. 11


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Vincent Gangemi


A Bill to Mandate Voting to Increase Voter Turnout


SECTION 1. Every eligible and able voter must cast a vote for a candidate in all 2

applicable presidential, representative and senatorial races. 3

SECTION 2. An able voter shall be defined as any citizen without physical, 4

psychological, or mental defects that may prevent him or her from 5

casting a vote through any means. 6

A. All exemptions that currently apply must be filed and approved of 7

before the law comes into effect. 8

B. Any exemptions that is found after the law has gone into effect must 9

be filed and approved of as soon as possible. 10

SECTION 3. The Department of State will be in charge of enforcing this law and 11

keeping track of all eligible voters. 12

A. A new sub-‐department will be opened to process all eligible voters. 13

B. An additional 50 million dollars will be given to the Department of 14

State for the creation and development for the new sub-‐department. 15

SECTION 4. This bill will go into effect on January 1, 2015. 16


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Shuyin Yu.

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation T1

A Bill to Prevent Congressmen From Lobbying to Prevent Corruption


SECTION 1. Congressmen be no more permitted to work as lobbyists, and those who 2

work in lobbying firms may not run for congressional office. Those former 3

lobbyists currently in congress shall be exempt from this legislation. 4

SECTION 2. The Federal Election Commission shall be charged with the enforcement 5

of this legislation. 6

SECTION 3. This Law shall take effect immediately upon passage. 7


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Brecken Denler.


A Bill to Restore Privacy to the Human Genome

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

2. SECTION 1. Any procedures involving the sequencing of genetic material must require

3. consent from the donor of said genetic material.

4. SECTION 2: Researchers must obtain the consent of the donor before performing any

5. form of research or study on the donor’s genetic material.

6. SECTION 3. Genetic information obtained from sequencing a genome cannot be

7. published without the donor’s consent. Researchers and doctors are also

8. required to warn donors of the privacy risks of sequencing their genome.

9. SECTION 4: If donor is somehow unable to provide consent, then the consent must

10. come from immediate family or next of kin.

11. SECTION 5. Genetic material is defined as DNA samples, sequenced genomes, or any

12. other biological material used to determine genetic information.

13. SECTION 6. This bill will be enforced by the Department of Health and Human Services.

14. SECTION 7. This law will take effect within six months of passage.

15. SECTION 8. All laws in conflict with this legislation shall be declared null and void.

Introduced by Kate Milleker.


A Bill to Invest in Infrastructure to Bolster Economic Growth


SECTION 1. The United States will invest 800 billion dollars into the infrastructure of 2

the United Sates over the span of the next 4 years 3

SECTION 2. A. Infrastructure is defined as ‘Basic physical and organizational structures 4

needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, as well as the 5

services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. 6

B. This will include roads, bridges, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, 7

telecommunications, and so forth, and can be further defined as "the 8

physical components of interrelated systems providing commodities and 9

services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living conditions. 10

SECTION 3. The Department of Labor will oversee the implementation of this 11

legislation. 12

SECTION 4. This legislation will take effect on June 1st of 2014. 13


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Matthew Pilsbury.


A Bill to Repeal the Federal Fuel Tax


SECTION 1. A. The federal excise taxes on over road use fuels currently in the amount 2

of $0.183 per gallon of gasoline and $0.24 per gallon of diesel fuel sold 3

for use in vehicles traveling over the highways and roadways of the 4

United States are hereby repealed. 5

B. A tax of 7.5% shall be placed upon all freight shipments originating 6

from or destined to, or travelling through any location in the United 7

States. 8

C. The proceeds of the tax implemented under Section 1B, may only be 9

used to repair, build or replace highways or roadways within the United 10

States maintained by a government or governmental agency. 11

SECTION 2. Federal excise taxes on over road use fuels shall be defined as taxes the 12

federal government puts on gasoline and diesel fuel sold for use in 13

vehicles which travel on public highways or roadways. 14

SECTION 3. The Federal Highway Administration shall oversee this legislation. 15

A. All agencies overseeing the collection, assessment and enforcement 16

of all excise taxes referenced in Section 1A herein shall take all 17

necessary actions to assure that on the effective date of this 18

American Infrastructure Reconstruction Law shall cease to be 19

assessed or collected. 20

SECTION 4. This legislation will be implemented 91 days after passage. 21


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Kate Rose.


A Bill to Amend the Merida Initiative to alleviate the Mexican Drug War


SECTION 1. The United States government will commence the following: 2

A. Enforce strict domestic drug rehabilitation programs directed specifically 3

towards those affected by the Mexican drug war; 4

B. Eliminate all US contracting regulations on Foreign Military Financing 5

(FMF); 6

C. Require that the Mexican Military related court cases regarding human 7

rights abuses be handled by court martials within Mexico. 8

SECTION 2. The aforementioned reforms will be enacted through specific clauses: 9

A. The rehabilitation programs will be directed towards those affected by 10

the Mexican drug war; 11

B. Elimination of contracting regulations will allow for uninterrupted flow 12

of military equipment to the Mexican government; and 13

C. Human rights violations committed by the Mexican Military will be 14

prosecuted under Mexican Law, not International Law. 15

SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Defense will 16

oversee the enforcement in conjunction with: 17

A. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) for rehabilitation programs; 18

B. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) for streamlining local courts. 19

SECTION 4. This Bill shall be enacted December 2014 (post local Mexican elections). 20


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Abhinav Sridharan

2014 Harvard National Congress Preliminary Session Legislation U1

The Transparency in Health Insurance Act of 2014


SECTION 1. All Hospitals, Pharmacies, and Doctors are required to provide prices for 2

all procedures, products, and methods they provide. 3

SECTION 2. All prices must be posted: 4

A. In a public area within the institution such that all consumers may 5

access them. 6

B. On the provider’s website. 7

SECTION 3. The Department of Health and Human Services will oversee the 8

enforcement of this legislation. 9

SECTION 4. This legislation will go into effect 6 months after passage. 10


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Abhimanyu Gupta.


A Bill to Lower the Voting Age


SECTION 1. The voting age shall be lowered to 16 years of age. 2

SECTION 2. The voting age shall be defined as the age at which a person is old 3

enough to vote in public elections. 4

SECTION 3. This bill will be implemented by the Election Assistance Commission. 5

SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented on January 1st, 2015. 6

SECTION 5. All other laws that are in conflict with this legislation shall hereby be 7

declared null and void.8

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Ryan Taggarse.


A Bill to Modify United States Transportation Infrastructure BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1

SECTION 1. Transportation infrastructure will be defined as areas dealing with road, rail 2

and air transportation. 3

SECTION 2. The modifications made to a specific type of transportation can be either 4

getting rid of something from that transportation or adding something to 5

it. 6

SECTION 3. Transportation infrastructure will be modified as follows: 7

A. Road: Cut all toll booths in the United States 8

B. Rail: allocate $10 billion to help railroad maintain their tracks, cars, 9

locomotives, and traffic signals. 10

SECTION 4. This law will take effect within 2 years of passage. 11


Introduced by Jake Dean.13


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

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

2: SECTION 1. The United States will redirect 15% of its funds going to

3: alternative fuel sources to solar power.

4: SECTION 2. This legislation will be implemented at the start of the 2015 Fiscal Year.

5: SECTION 3. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and

6: void.

Introduced for Congressional Debate by Joanna Choi


A Bill to Decriminalize All Drugs to End the War on Drugs


SECTION 1. The United States abolish criminal penalties and arrests for the personal 2

possession of drugs, and instead, personal drug possession will be 3

brought to a commission to take appropriate action. 4

SECTION 2. Personal Possession is a 10 day supply or under, following the amount 5

limits set by Portugal. 6

SECTION 3. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will 7

oversee the enforcement of this legislation. 8

A. Additionally, commissions made up of a psychiatrist, an attorney, and 9

a social worker will be created to apply sanctions on those charged 10

with possession. Those who are addicted to drugs have the option of 11

attending rehabilitation, in which case, any sanction is suspended. 12

These commissions will be created by the Substance Abuse and 13

Mental Health Services Administration. 14

SECTION 4. This legislation will take effect on January 1, 2015. 15


Introduced for Congressional Debate by Emily Welles.

harvard national congress bill packet

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