A Bill to Reinstate the Gold Standard
BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
SECTION 1. The United States Federal Reserve will begin to use a 50% gold standard
system.
SECTION 2. The establishment of this system should help to keep United States Dollars
(USD) at a relatively steady value, preventing hyperinflation and devaluation. This will
also limit the Federal Reserve’s ability to print money and the United States
government’s ability to spend it.
SECTION 3. All banks holding gold in their vaults will be required to sell this gold to
the United States Department of the Treasury for fair value. Private entities and
individuals holding more than 10 pounds (4.5359237 kilograms) of gold will be strongly
encouraged to sell it to the United States Department of the Treasury for fair value.
SECTION 4: The gold owned by the United States Department of the Treasury will be
divided, with 1% of the gold being kept in secure vaults on United States military bases
in each of the fifty states and 50% kept in the United States Federal Reserve in the Eccles
Building (the Federal Reserve Headquarters) in Washington, DC.
SECTION 5: The amount of USD in circulation will be reduced in accordance with the
50% gold standard. This legislation shall go into effect by January 2, 2012. Acquisition
of gold and reduction of circulated currency will go into effect upon the passing of this
bill into law.
SECTION 6: All laws or portions of laws in conflict with the provisions of this bill are
either waived or hereby declared null and void.
Respectfully Submitted by Santa Fe Preparatory School
A Resolution Regarding National Guardsmen in Afghanistan
WHEREAS, 55% of United States military personnel in Afghanistan are members of the
Army National Guard or the Air National Guard; and
WHEREAS, National Guardsmen in Afghanistan have often received less training and
are using lower-quality equipment then other branches of the military present in
Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, many National Guardsmen and Air National Guardsmen are also civil
servants and outstanding and important members of their home communities,
WHEREAS, the intention of the National Guard as a militia organization that serves in
times of emergency such as natural disasters and riots is violated by the use of
Guardsmen as regular soldiers; therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the student congress here assembled that the number of Army National
Guardsmen deployed in Afghanistan be reduced by at least 15% and replaced by soldiers
from the Marine Corp. and the United States Army, and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Air National Guardsmen deployed in Afghanistan be
reduced by 10% and replaced by pilots from the United States Air Force and the United
States Navy.
Respectfully submitted by Santa Fe Preparatory School
A Resolution to Ensure the Safety of High School Athletes
WHEREAS, The competitiveness of high school sports has created unsafe conditions
for all athletes involved; and
WHEREAS, The Journal of Athletic Training says that many preventable catastrophic
head injuries stem from playing high school football; and
WHEREAS, The coaches of high school football teams are given an extreme incentive
to win to because a winning season results in higher pay, and
WHEREAS, These motivated coaches often use little discretion when playing injured
players as a means to secure more pay, and
WHEREAS, These athletes are young adults who ought not be put in situations with the
possibility of such dire outcomes; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Congress here assembled make the recommendation for a
reevaluation of coach pay scale be made by all schools that could play
against a public school; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That all teams should have an impartial team physician that
can make a judgement as to the playability of all injured or hurt players.
Introduced by EMHS
A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Abolish the Electoral College
1 WHEREAS, The Electoral College carries the possibility of electing a president even as
2
the popular vote places that candidate in the minority; and
3 WHEREAS, the Electoral College fails to represent the national popular will by over4
representation of rural states and a winner-take-all system in most states;
5
and
6 WHEREAS, the Electoral College procedure is responsible for voter apathy and lower
7
voter turnout; and
8 WHEREAS, the current United States Constitution establishes and perpetuates the
9
Electoral College system; now, therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of Congress assembled, that the following article is
11
proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which
12
shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when
13
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within
14
seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:
15
ARTICLE --
16
SECTION 1: The Electoral College procedure, as defined in Article 2;
17
Section 1, and in the 12th Amendment of the United States
18
Constitution, shall be stricken.
19
SECTION 2: The Presidential Election Results shall be decided entirely
20
on popular vote, with every ballot of every voter in every
21
state counted.
22
SECTION 3: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
23
appropriate legislation.
Respectfully submitted by EMHS
A Resolution to Ban Earmarks
3 WHEREAS, Earmarks, according to Webster, are defined as a provision in
4 Congressional legislation that allocates a specific amount of money for a
5 specific project, program, or organization, and
6 WHEREAS, Earmarks benefit certain communities and not the United States as a
7 whole, and
8 WHEREAS, They are an inefficient way of using our nation‘s tax dollars, and
9 WHEREAS, They often times divide parties and the Congress, which doesn‘t benefit
10 the people, and
11 BE IT RESOLVED, That the Student Congress here assembled that the United States
12 will ban all earmarks from future legislation.
13 FURTHER RESOLVED, that any unspent federal funding for earmarks in current
14 legislation will be reallocated to debt reduction. All laws or portions of
15 laws in conflict with the provisions of this legislation are hereby declared
16 null and void.
A Resolution Halting Deepwater Oil Drilling by the U.S.A.
1 WHEREAS, The coastal ecosystem is being irreparably
2 damaged by oil
3 spills; and
4 WHEREAS, Coastal economies are suffering due to the fallout of these
5 spills; and
6 WHEREAS, Many oil companies are not meeting security standards and
7 are ignoring safety regulations; and
8 WHEREAS, Workers have lost their lives as a result of the
9 noncompliance and carelessness of companies; now, therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that deepwater oil drilling
11 should be banned in U.S. waters.
A Resolution to Decrease Military Aid to Israel
1 WHEREAS, Israel has always been given military aid every year even 1 in a time
where
2 our deficit soars above $1 trillion; and
3 WHEREAS, in 2010 the United States gave Israel $3 billion in military aide alone; and
4 WHEREAS, Israel gets 40% of there funding for their military operations from the
5 United States; and
6 WHEREAS, Israel is jeopardizing our possible relationships in the Middle East and
7 other Islamic states; now be it
8 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that: The United States Federal
9 Government review and decrease its military aid given to Israel.
A Resolution for a New National Defense Authorization Act
1 WHEREAS, Economic stability is one of the largest priorities for any administration
or
2 political party; and
3 WHEREAS, The United States Department of Defense has consistently been among
the
4 highest expenditures in the federal budget; and
5 WHEREAS, The United States General accounting office reports the purchase of
6 approximately 270,000 airline tickets for over one-hundred million dollars
7 ($100,000,000) by the Department of Defense that were never used; and
8 WHEREAS, The same office reported the Air Force and Navy personnel used credit
9 cards bound by the Department of Defense‘s money to spend on gambling
10 and cruises that totaled to well over three-hundred thousand dollars
11 ($300,000) in a period of one year; and
12 WHEREAS, This abuse of federal monetary resources happens every year in many
13 situations apart from the ones aforementioned; and
14 WHEREAS, Having a stronger overview on military spending will realign priorities
15 needed for the United States military; now, therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that a bipartisan committee of Defense
17 Spending Oversight should be created to review budget expenditures for
18 the United States Department of Defense at the end of every fiscal year to
19 help construct a more concise budget and cut unnecessary spending.
A Resolution to Completely Remove Ourselves from North Korea
4 WHEREAS, North Korea continues to become more active in bold action against
South
5 Korea in the fashion of a rogue state; and
6 WHEREAS, The United States has completely acted in favor of South Korea in
7 attempting to quell the situation; and
8 WHEREAS, China is the predominant power in this region; and
9 WHEREAS, We appear to be attempting to counter balance Chinese geopolitical
power
10 in Asia; and
11 WHEREAS, There isn‘t any real US interest in combating China in this region; and
12 WHEREAS, US actions are counterproductive to peace in the region; now, therefore,
be
13 it
14 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the US completely remove itself
15 from the region around North Korea militarily, politically, and
16 diplomatically.
A Bill to Restructure the Defense Budget
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. The Department of Defense‘s (DoD) Modernization budget shall be
3 limited to a maximum of 25% of the DoD‘s Base Budget.
4 SECTION 2. The DoD‘s Force Protection budget shall be limited to a minimum of
20%
5 of the DoD‘s Base Budget.
6 SECTION 3. A. This bill shall be overseen by the USD Comptroller/Chief
Financial
7 Officer.
8 B. Oversight shall be corroborated by the Congressional Budget
9 Office.
10 SECTION 4. This law will take effect within six months of passage.
11 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and
void.
A Resolution to Abolish Standardized Tests
1 WHEREAS, a child‘s score on a standardized test directly correlates with his or her
2 family‘s income; and
3 WHEREAS, the questions on a standardized test are aimed toward the middle-class,
4 Caucasian majority; and
5 WHEREAS, high-stakes tests force teachers to spend the majority of their time
teaching
6 the required information, preventing them from giving their students an in
7 depth understanding of the subject; and
8 WHEREAS, federal funds and resources are given based off of standardized test
scores;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, standardized tests cause unnecessary stress and worry on the student;
and
11 WHEREAS, most standardized test are norm-referenced, with only a certain
percentage
12 able to perform at the highest level, creating a competitive environment;
13 now, therefore, be it
14 RESOLVED, that the Congress here assembled abolish standardized testing from all
15 public schools in the United States.
A Bill to Allow Mental Health Officials to Decide Whether Perpetrators should be
tried as Unstable
BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
SECTION 1. The final decision of whether a defendant shall be tried as a mentally
stable or not will fall to a mental health official, not the defendant.
SECTION 2. A. The defendant is the accused party in a criminal trial
B. A mental health official is anyone who has received a masters degree or
higher in the mental health field and has no less than 5 years of in-field
experience.
SECTION 3. The Department of Justice will oversee the enforcement of the bill along
with the local, or state court system responsible for the trial.
SECTION 4. This shall be completely in effect by January 14 2014
SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced by EMHS
A Resolution to Increase the Minimum Smoking Age to Twenty-One (21)
WHEREAS, the current federal minimum age to purchase tobacco is eighteen (18), and
WHEREAS, states including Utah, Alaska, New Jersey, and Alabama have already
increased their minimums to nineteen (19), and
WHEREAS, the health issues smoking tobacco can cause are comparable to those of
drinking alcohol, and
WHEREAS, the minimum age to purchase alcohol is twenty-one (21), and
WHEREAS, giving citizens more time to consider the merits of smoking and not
smoking; therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the student congress here assembled to increase the federal minimum
age to purchase tobacco to twenty-one (21), and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that states that exceed this minimum age by at least one year
shall receive federal funding for schools and universities.
Respectfully Submitted by Santa Fe Preparatory School
A Bill to Introduce Criminal Penalties to Employers of Illegal Aliens
4 Section One: Employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens will now be subject to a
fine
5 not exceeding $3,000 and a year in prison for the first offense, and a fine not exceeding
6 $6,000 and up to five years in prison for offenses thereafter.
7 Section Two: Under current law employers who hire illegal aliens knowingly are
subject
8 to penalization only if there is record of repeated offenses and are only fined up to
9 $3,000 for each alien hired, and may only receive a prison sentence for up to six
10 months.
11 Section Three: Stricter penalties will discourage employers from continuing to hire
12 illegal aliens, and will encourage those who might be employed to seek work visas.
13 Section Four: Enforcement of this law will be overseen by the Immigration and
14 Naturalization Service (INS).
15 Section Five: This law shall become effective January 1, 2012.
16 Section Six: All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and
void.
A Resolution To Respect The Dead
3 WHEREAS, In America we have the right to freedom of speech
4 and expression; and
5 WHEREAS, this right does not protect hate speech; and
6 WHEREAS, hate speech is defined as a term for speech intended to
7 degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action
8 against someone based on race, ethnicity, national origin,
9 religion, sexual orientation, or disability; and
10 WHEREAS, the term covers written as well as oral communication; and
11 WHEREAS, certain churches and organizations have rioted outside
12 funerals; and
13 WHEREAS, picket signs have included phrases such as ―Thank God for
14 dead soldiers‖ and ―Dead soldiers are God‘s punishment to a
15 military that tolerates gays; and
16 WHEREAS, statements of this nature are classified as slander; and
17 WHEREAS, slander at this level can cause psychological turmoil and
18 can result in depression as well as other mental problems; and
19 WHEREAS, funerals are private affairs; and
20 WHEREAS, people deserve the same respect in death as they retain
21 in life; and
22 WHEREAS, protesting funerals harass both the living and the dead; and
23 WHEREAS, soldiers are deserving of the highest respect; and therefore
24 BE IT RESOLVED by the student congress here assembled that
25 protesting at funerals be deemed illegal within a 150 foot
26 radius; and
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that anyone in violation of this law be
28 fined up to $250,000 and receive up to six months
29 incarceration.
A Resolution to Reform the Supreme Court
WHEREAS appointments to the Supreme Court are a source of political strife and
command a disproportionate amount of analysis and debate during presidential
campaigns, and
WHEREAS many Americans believe the Supreme Court is out of touch with the people,
and
WHEREAS term limits for judges and justices have been frequently proposed as a
potential check on the judiciary,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by this Student Congress here assembled that a
Supreme Court appointment will be made in the 2nd year of each presidential term.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Supreme Court Justices will serve no more than a
36-year term, with exception being made for any Justice who was appointed to finish out
less than 8 years of an uncompleted term.
A Bill to Mandate the Rejection of Emergency Care to Illegal Immigrants
WHEREAS, according to USA Today, Illegal Immigrants without insurance account for
59% of the persons receiving emergency care in U.S. hospitals, and
WHEREAS, under the new Obama Care, illegal immigrants will not be forced to
purchase health insurance, though they will still be able to receive health care—
regardless of their ability to pay—in a hospital‗s emergency department, and
WHEREAS, The cost of illegal immigrants‗ health care in the emergency department of
hospitals will be shifted to Americans with insurance, and
WHEREAS, Congressional Research Service (CRS) underscored, ―the cost of providing
uncompensated care to the uninsured was $43 billion in 2008, and
WHEREAS, to pay for this cost, health care providers pass on the cost to private insurers,
which pass on the cost to families. This cost-shifting increases family premiums on
average by over $1,000 a year; therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Student Congress that: emergency medical care will be denied to
illegal immigrants under penalty of laws to be prescribed.
A Resolution to Decrease Violent Crime
WHEREAS, The drug wars in Mexico have led to over 3000 homicides in Juarez,
Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Juarez borders the city of El Paso, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Concerns regarding the safety of United States citizens living in border
towns has increased due to the control gained by the Mexican Drug
Cartels; and
WHEREAS, The Mexican government has asked for help from the United States to
fight their war on drugs; and
WHEREAS, Drug abuse is directly linked to increased crime in addition to the crime
increase by the trafficking of those drugs now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the United States move
toward a more active role in capturing and prosecuting drug trafficking
through the Mexican-American border.
A Resolution to Increase Pressure on China
3 Whereas, North Korea fired more than 100 shells onto South Korean Yeonpyeong
4 in November of 2010, and
5 Whereas, China remains the main diplomatic and economic supporter of
6 impoverished North Korea, and
7 Whereas, current six-nation talks with both the United States and China have
8 been rejected and unsuccessful, and
9 Whereas, China has the obligation to help maintain order in the eastern hemisphere,
and
10 Be it resolved by the student congress assembled here that the United States increase
11 diplomatic pressure on the Chinese government to allow for open talks
12 between the United States, China, and the Koreas.
A Resolution Concerning a Presidential Election Starting Date
1 WHEREAS, every election year in the United States campaigning for the office
2 of President begins earlier and earlier; and
3 WHEREAS, the focus on potential candidates takes focus away from truly
4 significant political issues in the country; and
5 WHEREAS, earlier campaigning has been felt as a vital key to running a
6 successful campaign due to elections become contests of whom raises the most
7 money; and
8 WHEREAS, a concentration can be put from completing duties of office onto a
9 presidential campaign can affect not only incumbent first-term presidents, but also
10 holders of other forms of public office, now, therefore, be it
11 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that a date exactly
12 400 days prior to the general election be set as the earliest date which an official
13 campaign or fundraising efforts are allowed to commence